Alabama Football: Shaun Dion Hamilton injury hurts Tide v. Clemson

Linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton may not have made the recent All-SEC list, but his injury may hurt Alabama football the most when they play against Clemson.

Defense wins championships. It’s an old cliche, but one that is proven to be true, time and time again. With the first and second All-SEC teams recently announced, many of the 10 Alabama football players who made the lists come from the defense.

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However, one Crimson Tide senior defender did not make the cut. Middle linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton was not rewarded with distinction of being an All-SEC player, but Alabama may find it harder than ever to win the rubber match against Clemson without him.

Each Crimson Tide player on the All-SEC list deserves to be there, and each would be very hard to replace:

Yet, the 6-foot, 235-pound native of Montgomery, Alabama may be the hardest man to replace on New Year’s Day. Hamilton’s skill set and veteran leadership will be missed the most when trying to stop Clemson’s offense.

Hamilton may have played his final game in a Crimson Tide uniform, after suffering a knee injury in early November against LSU. The consequence of that injury proved severe.

Junior Keith Holcombe was named the starter to replace Hamilton against Mississippi State the following week. It proved too much for the inexperienced linebacker, missing tackles and receiving much criticism from the media as well as from the Alabama faithful. Mississippi State ran right through the secondary and put the Alabama victory into serious question a number of times.

Freshman Dylan Moses replaced Holcombe with more favorable results against Mercer. Yet, even though Moses had 10 total tackles against Auburn, six being solo, Alabama’s arch rivals seemed overwhelming. Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham used both his legs and his arm to dismantle Alabama’s defense.

Now, with a national championship berth on the line, Alabama expects to shut down Clemson’s star quarterback Kelly Bryant? The man who just put up 252 passing yards against a tough Miami Hurricanes defense in the ACC Championship game?

The middle linebacker position is like the quarterback of the defense. Having little to no experience at the post during the college football playoff semi-final would make anyone nervous, let alone having to play against a mobile quarterback with a good arm. The linebacker has to know when to play short for quick slants or runs or play long for deep seam routes by tight ends or slot receivers.

Bryant may not be the second coming of Deshaun Watson; however, he’s definitely good enough to put pressure on Alabama’s defense, with or without Hamilton.

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Hamilton’s veteran leadership and skill set are huge losses for Alabama in this game. He may not have made the All-SEC list, but the SEC will lose one of its two representatives in the playoffs if the Crimson Tide do not figure out how to replace him adequately enough to stop Clemson.