2008 Freshmen

[GreatDanish]

Along with 2007's redshirts, here is a position by position listing of next year's freshmen (not a depth chart). Just to see how recruiting has gone the last two years. This is not including freshmen that played last year.

QB – Nick Fanuzzi – Star Jackson – Brad Smelley
TB – Demetrius Goode – Ivan Matchett – Jermaine Preyear – Chris Jordan – Mark Ingram
FB – Jeramie Griffin
TE – Chris Underwood – Michael Williams
LT – Tyler Love
LG – Patrick Crump
C – William Vlachos
RG – Barrett Jones
RT – John Michael Boswell
WR – Brandon Gibson – Marquis Maze – Melvin Ray – Devonta Bolton
WR – Darius Hanks – Julio Jones – Destin Hood – Chris Jackson

DE – Jeremy Elder – Glenn Harbin
NT – Alfred McCullough – Kerry Murphy – Damion Square – Marcel Dareus – Undra Billingsley
DE – Brandon Lewis – Nick Gentry
OLB – Jerrell Harris
ILB – Donta Hightower
ILB – Jennings Hester
Jack – Alex Watkins – Courtney Upshaw
CB – Alonzo Lawrence
FS – Mark Barron – Wes Neighbors
SS – Robert Lester – Tarence Farmer
CB – Burton Scott – Robby Green

 

[CrimsonSEC]

Was Nick Fanuzzi's medical redshirt approved?

 

[BigEasyTider]

Was Nick Fanuzzi's medical redshirt approved?

No word yet, but I would imagine it will go through.

 

[TidefaninMO]

Thats a great amount of talent, especially when it does not include guys who played last year like McClain and Kareem. Also, looking at that wideout list, all you can say is WOW!!! Could someone post a list of freshman who saw decent amounts of playing time this past year?

 

[BigEasyTider]

Could someone post a list of freshman who saw decent amounts of playing time this past year?

If you define "decent" as more than a handful of snaps on either offense or defense (i.e. not special teams) in meaningful situations, it is a very, very short list.

If you use that definition, about the only two true freshmen who did were Rolando McClain and Kareem Jackson.

There were a handful of others who played on special teams, and in garbage time against WCU, but that's about it.

 

[Bama1970]

Along with 2007's redshirts, here is a position by position listing of next year's freshmen (not a depth chart). Just to see how recruiting has gone the last two years. This is not including freshmen that played last year.

QB – Nick Fanuzzi – Star Jackson – Brad Smelley
TB – Demetrius Goode – Ivan Matchett – Jermaine Preyear – Chris Jordan – Mark Ingram
FB – Jeramie Griffin
TE – Chris Underwood – Michael Williams
LT – Tyler Love
LG – Patrick Crump
C – William Vlachos
RG – Barrett Jones
RT – John Michael Boswell
WR – Brandon Gibson – Marquis Maze – Melvin Ray – Devonta Bolton
WR – Darius Hanks – Julio Jones – Destin Hood – Chris Jackson

DE – Jeremy Elder – Glenn Harbin
NT – Alfred McCullough – Kerry Murphy – Damion Square – Marcel Dareus – Undra Billingsley
DE – Brandon Lewis – Nick Gentry
OLB – Jerrell Harris
ILB – Donta Hightower
ILB – Jennings Hester
Jack – Alex Watkins – Courtney Upshaw
CB – Alonzo Lawrence
FS – Mark Barron – Wes Neighbors
SS – Robert Lester – Tarence Farmer
CB – Burton Scott – Robby Green

Foundation for a NC in a few seasons, IMO:BigA:

 

[CornBiscuit]

Click here to read about what Rivals thinks about one of our commits.

 

[Bama1970]

Click here to read about what Rivals thinks about one of our commits.

I really look for MB to be a starter against Clemson. This kid is the total package.

 

[BigEasyTider]

I really look for MB to be a starter against Clemson. This kid is the total package.

Yep, agreed completely.

I was in Mobile a couple of weekends this past year, and caught a couple of St. Paul's games. This kid is an absolute beast, and he is the best of that group, McCarron included. Watching him play at the high school level, you almost felt sorry for the opponent because they were essentially playing a man versus boys. The kid is just like Rolando McClain, don't think that just because he was in high school that he does not already have an SEC body.

And, without trying to denigrate this young man, Marcus Carter had two terrible years at safety, and he was only starting because we just had nobody there to take his place. We were so absolutely depleted in quality depth at safety after Harper and Peprah left, sans Rashad Johnson in 2007, that Carter was playing simply because he was the best of the worst. Consider this: Carter started over 20 games the past two years, and in those 20 games he combined to have 0 interceptions, 0 forced fumbles, 1.5 tackles for a loss, and 1 pass broken up. Bottom line: he was on the field, but he wasn't doing anything out there.

In my eyes, even as a true freshman, Mark Barron is a major upgrade over a senior Marcus Carter. I expect him to start and to start almost, if not, immediately.

 

[rolltide8755]

Yep, agreed completely.

I was in Mobile a couple of weekends this past year, and caught a couple of St. Paul's games. This kid is an absolute beast, and he is the best of that group, McCarron included. Watching him play at the high school level, you almost felt sorry for the opponent because they were essentially playing a man versus boys. The kid is just like Rolando McClain, don't think that just because he was in high school that he does not already have an SEC body.

And, without trying to denigrate this young man, Marcus Carter had two terrible years at safety, and he was only starting because we just had nobody there to take his place. We were so absolutely depleted in quality depth at safety after Harper and Peprah left, sans Rashad Johnson in 2007, that Carter was playing simply because he was the best of the worst. Consider this: Carter started over 20 games the past two years, and in those 20 games he combined to have 0 interceptions, 0 forced fumbles, 1.5 tackles for a loss, and 1 pass broken up. Bottom line: he was on the field, but he wasn't doing anything out there.

In my eyes, even as a true freshman, Mark Barron is a major upgrade over a senior Marcus Carter. I expect him to start and to start almost, if not, immediately.

100% agreed

 

[CrimsonNeck]

Demerius and Marcel Dareus package?

I am curious about Demerius and Marcel Dareus. I know we signed both Marcel & Demerius and know they were a 'package deal' but am not seeing a bio anywhere on Demerius. I've seen that Demerius Dareus may start out w/a JUCO & a couple of other areas suggest the possible Prep-School angle & even the Grey-Shirt offer at Bama has been suggested BUT HAS anyone seen the definative answer on where he starts his college life? Is it still possible the kid makes up enough academic ground to be eligible come fall @ UA?

I know it may well be simply too early to know the answer & I hope I am not about to walk into a buzzsaw for even posting the question(?) . . . :biga: Many Thanks & RTR!

 

[bamabryan]

Click here to read about what Rivals thinks about one of our commits.

I think Mark Barron has the best opportunity to be a game 1 starter of all our incoming freshmen.

 

[BigEasyTider]

I think Mark Barron has the best opportunity to be a game 1 starter of all our incoming freshmen.

Agreed.

Even Julio, I think, has a tougher route. At least we have a couple of experienced wide receivers returning -- Nikita Stover and Mike McCoy -- and we do have several young, apparently promising receivers that have been around for at least a year or more, guys like Earl Alexander, Darius Hanks, and Brandon Gibson. Also you have to factor in that Chris Jackson is already enrolled and will get the added benefit of going through winter workouts and spring practice.

We simply do not have anything remotely like that at safety. Aside from Johnson, the cupboard is seemingly bare. Woodall could barely even get on the field last year, in the same situation that saw a guy like Marcus Carter starting, so you really cannot count on him, and while Sharrief looked decent in situational packages, I'm not sure he is an every-down option. The situation is seemingly ripe for a great freshman to come in and get playing time immediately.

 

[GreatDanish]

Adding in freshmen who played last year...
Oh, and by the way, I listed guys who could play multiple positions at the position Rivals.com list him at.

QB – Nick Fanuzzi – Star Jackson – Brad Smelley - Greg McElroy
TB – Demetrius Goode – Ivan Matchett – Jermaine Preyear – Chris Jordan – Mark Ingram - Terry Grant
FB – Jeramie Griffin
TE – Chris Underwood – Michael Williams - Preston Dial
LT – Tyler Love
LG – Patrick Crump - Taylor Pharr
C – William Vlachos
RG – Barrett Jones - David Ross
RT – John Michael Boswell
WR – Brandon Gibson – Marquis Maze – Melvin Ray – Devonta Bolton
WR – Darius Hanks – Julio Jones – Destin Hood – Chris Jackson - Earl Alexander

DE – Jeremy Elder – Glenn Harbin
NT – Alfred McCullough – Kerry Murphy – Damion Square – Marcel Dareus – Undra Billingsley - Brian Motley - Josh Chapman
DE – Brandon Lewis – Nick Gentry - Luther Davis
OLB – Jerrell Harris - Chavis Williams
ILB – Donta Hightower - Rolando McClain
ILB – Jennings Hester
Jack – Alex Watkins – Courtney Upshaw
CB – Alonzo Lawrence - Kareem Jackson
FS – Mark Barron – Wes Neighbors
SS – Robert Lester – Tarence Farmer
CB – Burton Scott – Robby Green

With Terrence Cody coming in, I think that of the nose tackles mentioned above, not all of them will stay there. Maybe one will move to the OL - McCullough or Murphy may be a good candidate for that. Square or Billingsley may play end.

In two years, these will be the (redshirt) sophomores, juniors, and seniors with possibly, even better classes as freshmen and sophomores.

I'm in TN, and, believe it or not, there has been little talk of signing day on sports talk in the area (as opposed to last year when UT had a very good class). There has been a lot of talk about how recruiting may be over hyped and you don't really know how good a class is until 3-4 years down the road.

I disagree. With this caliber of class, we will know by the end of this calendar year (not entirely, but for the most part). I hope that the guys currently on campus will step it up so that we see only one or two guys from this class starting this year, but I think we have potentially 5 or 6 guys in this class that will be starting by December (JJ, J.Harris, A.Lawrence, M.Barron, B.Scott are 5 that immediately come to mind).

It all starts with recruiting, and for the first time since the inception of Rivals and Scout, Alabama is building a foundation as strong as anyone.

 

[BigEasyTider]

With Terrence Cody coming in, I think that of the nose tackles mentioned above, not all of them will stay there. Maybe one will move to the OL - McCullough or Murphy may be a good candidate for that. Square or Billingsley may play end.

I wouldn't go that far just yet.

Square and Dareus both will eventually end up playing inside, and the same thing likely goes for Billingsley as well. However, none of those guys are physically ready to play inside, and if they are going to play in the next year or so it will be at defensive end. If anything, it only further bolsters short-term depth at end. Only Dareus could legitimately play inside right now, and even he could likely do it only in obvious passing situations.

Once you factor those guys out, you have only Motley, Chapman, and McCullough as definite factors. And all three of those guys are wholly unproven, being brutally honest.

Kerry Murphy, honestly, may be the best bet to move to the offensive line, but with his academics still a major question mark, you really cannot count on him. It's hard to pencil in a guy who still has a fairly significant amount of work to do just to qualify, especially when he has already been an academic casualty once.

 

[Crimson Surfer]

Re: Demerius and Marcel Dareus package?

I am curious about Demerius and Marcel Dareus. I know we signed both Marcel & Demerius and know they were a 'package deal' but am not seeing a bio anywhere on Demerius. I've seen that Demerius Dareus may start out w/a JUCO & a couple of other areas suggest the possible Prep-School angle & even the Grey-Shirt offer at Bama has been suggested BUT HAS anyone seen the definative answer on where he starts his college life? Is it still possible the kid makes up enough academic ground to be eligible come fall @ UA?

I know it may well be simply too early to know the answer & I hope I am not about to walk into a buzzsaw for even posting the question(?) . . . :biga: Many Thanks & RTR!

Here is my opinion on the situation in another thread.

 

[GreatDanish]

I wouldn't go that far just yet.

Square and Dareus both will eventually end up playing inside, and the same thing likely goes for Billingsley as well. However, none of those guys are physically ready to play inside, and if they are going to play in the next year or so it will be at defensive end. If anything, it only further bolsters short-term depth at end. Only Dareus could legitimately play inside right now, and even he could likely do it only in obvious passing situations.

Once you factor those guys out, you have only Motley, Chapman, and McCullough as definite factors. And all three of those guys are wholly unproven, being brutally honest.

Kerry Murphy, honestly, may be the best bet to move to the offensive line, but with his academics still a major question mark, you really cannot count on him. It's hard to pencil in a guy who still has a fairly significant amount of work to do just to qualify, especially when he has already been an academic casualty once.

I don't think I was exactly stepping out on a limb. If everyone qualifies, we will have 8 nose tackles, with the oldest one being a sophomore. I'm not saying we are going to for sure move guys, but I think if everyone qualifies, there will be at least one of those guys who will not remain a nose tackle.

 

[Crimson Surfer]

I wouldn't go that far just yet.

Square and Dareus both will eventually end up playing inside, and the same thing likely goes for Billingsley as well. However, none of those guys are physically ready to play inside, and if they are going to play in the next year or so it will be at defensive end. If anything, it only further bolsters short-term depth at end. Only Dareus could legitimately play inside right now, and even he could likely do it only in obvious passing situations.

Once you factor those guys out, you have only Motley, Chapman, and McCullough as definite factors. And all three of those guys are wholly unproven, being brutally honest.

Kerry Murphy, honestly, may be the best bet to move to the offensive line, but with his academics still a major question mark, you really cannot count on him. It's hard to pencil in a guy who still has a fairly significant amount of work to do just to qualify, especially when he has already been an academic casualty once.

I agree with you that Marcel Dareus could play inside on the DL right now, and eventually he will likely bulk up and move inside to play on the nose or DT. CNS said in his NSD press conference that Marcel is more of an athletic pass rusher off the edge DE type. CNS compares Dareus to Wallace Gilberry, he said that he is a little bigger than Gilberry and he thinks he can get bigger and stronger.

I also agree that Kerry Murphy could be moved to the OL since he played both ways very well at Hargrave. I expect him to start out at DT and move if he can not significantly contribute. I say that mainly due to the fact that the offense line is looking better than it has in the recent past. The reports are that Murphy is doing all that he can do working toward graduating from Hargrave this May and academically qualifying to report into Alabama. Obviously until he makes it on campus you can not count on him or any of the signees.

 

[CornBiscuit]

With Terrence Cody coming in, I think that of the nose tackles mentioned above, not all of them will stay there. Maybe one will move to the OL - McCullough or Murphy may be a good candidate for that.

Cody may be a good one, but he will still be a project, and will certainly not be an every down player. We wont be able to move a guy because he is there as he doesnt really fill a spot on the depth chart, more like a role player.

Then there is that chance he will never see campus.

 

[bamabryan]

In addition to Barron, I think Alonzo Lawrence and Jarrell Harris have a great chance to come in and start as true freshmen. I think both Lawrence and Harris will both be starters at some point during the 2008 season. The question is which game?

Unless someone really steps up in the spring and summer (like Justin Woodall) I think Barron has the best shot of all the incoming freshmen to start in the Clemson game.

I am really excited about this class of incoming freshmen.