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Alabama Football: Shane Lee has been preparing at Mike LB for a long time

By Ronald Evans

TUSCALOOSA, AL - OCTOBER 08: Big Al, mascot of the Alabama Crimson Tide, runs out on the field during pregame prior to facing the Vanderbilt Commodores at Bryant-Denny Stadium on October 8, 2011 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
TUSCALOOSA, AL - OCTOBER 08: Big Al, mascot of the Alabama Crimson Tide, runs out on the field during pregame prior to facing the Vanderbilt Commodores at Bryant-Denny Stadium on October 8, 2011 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Alabama football has a new, true freshman, starting Mike linebacker. Shane Lee is better prepared than most Tide fans realize.

The job of playing Mike linebacker for Alabama football requires the physical and mental maturity of a man. Crimson Tide, true freshman, Shane Lee is only 17 – an age not often associated with manhood.

The phrase ‘age is only a number’ is often used by those well past middle age to explain they are not done yet. If it applies to the older among us, then maybe it should also apply to the younger.

Don’t let the 17 number fool you. Shane Lee is wiser than his age indicates. He is no ordinary, blue-chip freshman for whom adjusting to the demands of college life and college football can be overwhelming.

For one thing, Shane Lee learned work ethic and the value of education from his parents.  His father is “a police officer, and his mother works in cybersecurity and has three college degrees.”

When it became known Dylan Moses was lost for the season, a near-panic set in among Alabama football fans. Losing arguably the best inside linebacker in the nation was staggering. Also losing the Crimson Tide’s defensive play-caller was maybe even worse. Some fans wondered if the next Mike linebacker would relinquish the standard play-calling role to a safety. Minkah Fitzpatrick effectively did that for the Tide defense.

On Wednesday, Nick Saban clarified the Mike linebacker would still be the guy calling defensive signals. For that important task, the best, healthy man on the Alabama football roster is Shane Lee.

Despite his youth, Shane Lee has been preparing for such responsibility for a long time. He was a play-calling Mike linebacker in high school. Opposing coaches state he was very good at making last-second adjustments. Nick Saban recruited Lee to be not just a linebacker, but specifically a Mike linebacker.

Shane Lee is smart. As in straight A, National Honor Society smart in high school. He has been in Tuscaloosa for almost nine months, studying the Alabama football defense. On the Crimson Tide, second-unit defense he has been the play-caller. There may have never been a better-prepared 17-year old in Alabama football history.

Lee’s high school coach described Shane as,

"If he’s struggling with something, he’s going to keep working until he figures it out. I think that’s why he’s attractive for Alabama. They have great talent, but they need leaders. They need guys to do things the right way. Shane is what they’re looking for in someone who provides that to a team… He’s on top of everything."

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Shane Lee has something else going for him. He is a very confident young man. Watching him progress should bring appreciation from Crimson Tide fans.

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