TideFans 2009 Crown Jewel Countdown - #24 - MLB Petey Smith .

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#24 - MLB Petey Smith 6' 1" 245
Tampa , FL
Coached by Sean Callahan at Armwood high school .

TideFans consensus rating - 3
CS - 3.5
LCN - 3.5
RTO - 3
BET - 3

Recruited by James Willis , Jim McElwain and Nick Saban .
Petey is a two-time all-state player who was selected as an Under Armour All-American and was his teams leading tackler in this years game .
5th ranked MLB by ESPNU
19th ranked MLB by Scout.com
32nd ranked MLB by Rivals.com

Armwood's all-time leading tackler registered 79 stops as a senior .

Petey is a pure old school MLB who tackles like a freight train . Simply put - he hits , they drop . Against the run , Smith is very capable of fighting his way through traffic to down opposing ball carriers and has the tools to become one of the conference's best run stoppers . Petey does need a little work on his angles of pursuit and lacks a step in space . Unless Smith is able to improve his quickness and overall speed , he'll probably never become an overly good defender against the pass . Petey signed with Alabama over offers from Auburn (where his older brother Eric plays) , Illinois , Louisville , N. Carolina and Tennessee .

[BigEasyTider]

I think with Smith you will probably see him take a redshirt in 2009, and then he will really fight it out at the Mike linebacker position currently held by Rolando McClain. That is the position that fits him perfectly, and I imagine you will see him slide in there.

That is actually pretty good news for us. McClain plays the part quite well, but beyond him we actually have very little depth there. Charlie Higgenbotham is technically the back-up, but frankly I'm not even sure he is an SEC caliber player, and once you get beyond that you have a walk-on. Obviously we have a pretty big need for quality depth at the position.

Hopefully he can redshirt this year, learn some more as a redshirt freshman, and then take over the starting job as a redshirt sophomore in the Fall of 2011. Either way, I think you have to like Smith as a prospect. He'll probably never be an elite every-down linebacker, but he's a load who is great against the run, and you always need a guy like that playing inside in the 3-4.

[Crimson Surfer]

I also expect Petey Smith will redshirt next season. I say that even though he is a great MLB that already has the talent, size and strength to play. The fact is that he may not be needed next season at MLB. He will benefit from a year in the Bama S&C program and some coaching up of his lateral pursuit technique. With an AA type LB like Petey Smith being the lowest rated of all the LBs in the 2009 Crown Jewel Countdown it really shows the talent and depth of the Bama LB class in 2009.

Crimson Tide Ink 25 on National Signing Day

	Quote:
	Petey Smith was a powerful presence at middle linebacker as a prep standout at Armwood High School ... an Under Armour All-American ... ranked as the No. 5 inside linebacker by ESPNU and listed on the ESPNU150 ... Scout.com lists Smith as the No. 19 middle linebacker nationally while Rivals.com ranks Smith at No. 32 at his position ... Rivals.com also lists Smith as the No. 63 player in the state of Florida ... member of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Super Southern 100 ... on the Mobile Press-Register Super Southeast 120 ... All-American by Tom Lemming's Prep Football Report ... a two-time All-State selection ... earned All-Hillsborough County and All-Suncoast first team honors ... Armwood High Schools' all-time leading tackler ... had 79 tackles as a senior for a defensive unit that pitched six shutouts and was considered one of the best in Florida ... had 72 tackles as a junior ... totaled 135 tackles as a sophomore in 2006 ... brother, Eric, is a freshman at Auburn ... coached by Sean Callahan ... chose Alabama over Tennessee, Illinois, Louisville and North Carolina

.

[mkb193]

I was somewhat skeptical when we signed him, I had no doubts that he was good enough to play, but I wasn't sure we needed him. Now I really realize that he'll end up playing a vital role a few years down the line, and I'm extremely happy that we signed him.

It'll be fun to see how the linebacker situation works out this year and next.

[Bamaball2001]

	Quote:	Crimson Surfer
	...With an AA type LB like Petey Smith being the lowest rated of all the LBs in the 2009 Crown Jewel Countdown it really shows the talent and depth of the Bama LB class in 2009. Crimson Tide Ink 25 on National Signing Day.

An area that needed to be shored up and was.

It is nice to see the holes in our lineup being plugged by quality players and to be in a position that we can red shirt them and allow them to mature. It has been a long time comin'.

RTR!

[TDBama78]

i like petey smith. 2 time all state, that tough to do infla where they are loaded with talent year inyear out. he'll be tough in the middle. just what saban wants in a defense . defend the middle first and smith certainly fills the bill.

[BEATtutorsee]

If Smith can improve his pass coverage abilities he has the chance to be a very good LB for us, if not he'll still be a very strong run stuffer.

[runtheoption22]

	Quote:	BEATtutorsee
	If Smith can improve his pass coverage abilities he has the chance to be a very good LB for us, if not he'll still be a very strong run stuffer.

Rolo isn't great in pass coverage, and Smith will have to work to get to even Rolo's level in that area. However, a RS year will help him adjust. Still, I see him coming off the field in most passing situations.

[BEATtutorsee]

	Quote:	runtheoption22
	Rolo isn't great in pass coverage, and Smith will have to work to get to even Rolo's level in that area. However, a RS year will help him adjust. Still, I see him coming off the field in most passing situations.

Yeah I agree.