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ALABAMA FRESHMEN:
August 25, 2001 As the 2001 season gets underway, questions remain about the 21 men signed into Dennis Franchione’s first recruiting class. Who will play, and who will sit? While nothing is certain at this point, here is our best prediction for which players will sit and which ones will grace the Bryant-Denny Stadium turf. To find out where these Freshmen are on the 3-deep depth chart, click here. Discuss This Article on the Football Message Board
Definitely Will Not Play
Bass, an athletic wide receiver out of Fayette County High School, was selected in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft and elected to pursue that sport. He is not on the team. Tyler did not complete academic requirements at Milford Prep School – a school whose name has also come up in the recent NCAA investigation into recruiting violations at Alabama. While it is not clear if the two are related, Tyler will nonetheless play his college ball elsewhere. Alabama released him from his scholarship commitment, and he is enrolled at UAB. He is ineligible to play for the Blazers in 2001. Madison did not make a qualifying score on his ACT test. He is enrolled at Alabama and is practicing with the team, but as a partial qualifier, is not eligible to play in 2001. Bowens did not complete his junior college requirements. He did not graduate, and therefore, is ineligible to join the Crimson Tide team. He remains in junior college and hopes to enroll at Alabama in the spring. He would, at that time, have three years to play two beginning in the fall of 2002. Will Probably Redshirt
King has been getting some work with special teams, but will probably redshirt to gain strength and get used to the speed of the college game. He is a hard hitter with speed who will compete for a starting job in 2002. Sanders has looked better in practice than many expected, but like most freshmen offensive linemen, he will need a year in the weight room to ready himself for SEC football. Like Sanders, Ewing needs to be exposed to a college strength and conditioning program. Pennington has proven to be far closer to Brodie Croyle in ability than could ever have been imagined. He is strong, makes all the throws and has a good frame to add strength. But Alabama has four more experienced quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart, which means Pennington will likely watch the 2001 season from behind a clipboard. Anderson has frightening speed off the corner, but like his freshmen offensive line teammates, needs some work in the weight room. Anderson could be the true hidden gem in the 2001 recruiting class. Dupree has the body and enough speed to be a SEC tailback. Like Spencer Pennington, however, the position at which he plays is deep. Four players currently occupy positions north of him on the depth chart, meaning he’ll probably spend most of his time bulking up for next year. Thought by many – including the coaching staff – to be no worse than an even match for incumbent placekicker Neal Thomas, McLaughlin met expectations of leg strength and accuracy upon his arrival. But Thomas has had such a strong fall camp, there will probably be no need for McLaughlin to play in 2001. Up In The Air
Bates opened fall camp at outside linebacker, but quickly moved to the defensive end position. With Shawn Oglesby ineligible and Antwan Odom and Nautyn McKay-Loescher battling nagging injuries, Alabama might need another body at defensive end. Bates probably leads Anderson for that honor, at this point. Closner is the most physically developed of the new offensive linemen. He will certainly play early in his career, but how early? His versatility – he can play anywhere on the line, and even defense if needed – makes him a rare commodity. If injuries hit either line, look for Closner to possibly play. Brooks probably won’t crack the rotation at receiver, but could as a kick returner. Brooks has good speed and is elusive, but his size (5’5", 150) puts him behind the eight ball. Johnston is an impressive physical specimen, with good hands. But he plays at a deep position, and as many as four men lead him for playing time at this point. Rather than play only a handful of plays in 2001, Johnston will probably ride the pine. Harper has the frame to add lots of muscle in the coming years. He plays at a thin position (safety), but his inexperience in the secondary – he was a high school quarterback, primarily – probably means a redshirt. Depending on the performance of Tyler Watts and Andrew Zow, Croyle could either redshirt or find himself starting early in the season. He has all the tools and, barring injury, will realize his enormous promise some day. Will Probably Play
Although Herrion has a redshirt year available to him, the former junior college All-American will probably play as the "swing" tackle; i.e., the backup to both strong tackle Dante Ellington and quick tackle Wes Britt. Herrion is still competing with Britt for the starting quickside position. Peprah has been a fast learner so far this fall. Most seasoned observers believe Franchione stole one from under the noses of Texas and Texas A&M; Peprah has immense natural cornerback skills. The only issue is depth – Alabama may not have much experience at cornerback, but they have a lot of bodies. His best chance for playing time this year would probably come at safety or on special teams. If Peprah remains solely a cornerback, however, he could be headed for a redshirt. No denying this man’s talent – Roach looks like a seasoned veteran already. Roach is competing with Darius Gilbert for the position of Saleem Rasheed’s backup. Roach is also involved on many special teams units, meaning he is a virtual shoe-in for playing time. Will Definitely Play
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