Alabama Crimson Tide

Each week at TideNation we'll speak with a writer who covers one of Alabama's opponents this season. Today, we spoke with WolverineNation beat writer Mike Rothstein.

Q: Michigan closed the season out strong in January, beating Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. How has that momentum carried over during the spring?

Mike Rothstein: Michigan's offense, save Junior Hemingway, struggled against the Hokies. But the win definitely gave the Wolverines more confidence heading into next season. I think it also started to set up the leadership core for this upcoming season: Denard Robinson, Jordan Kovacs and Taylor Lewan. If anything, however, the Sugar Bowl gave Michigan an idea of how far it needed to go to continue to compete on an elite level nationally. The season-opener against Alabama is such a test.

Q: Denard Robinson is obviously the biggest threat on offense for the Wolverines. What do you expect from him in his senior year?

M.R.: For much of the spring, a lot was made of Robinson's improved accuracy and decision-making. Whether it is true or not remains to be seen. Robinson played one series in the public spring scrimmage and Robinson was made to look very good in the pre-packaged highlights of practices Michigan put on its website. It'll be interesting to see how he deals with pressure from Alabama.

Q: The defensive line lost a lot from last year. How do you see the defense as a whole coming together in 2012?

M.R.: The defensive line lost a lot but everyone else returns for Michigan. The secondary, which was once a weakness for the Wolverines, now has its top six cornerbacks returning from last season and also has a strong pair of starting safeties in Kovacs and Thomas Gordon. With a Greg Mattison-led defense, though, much of what he likes to do comes from defensive line pressure. It is a defensive line with three new starters and four guys playing different positions -- senior Craig Roh moved from rush end to strong side end in the offseason. Roh is going to have to have a big year as the rest of the line is untested. Jibreel Black has shown flashes, but is moving inside from an end spot. Will Campbell has always had potential, but never shown it with any consistency during his first three seasons. Brennen Beyer and Frank Clark will play rush end and should form a strong tandem. It'll be a place, however, where Alabama can attack on Sept. 1.

Q: We’ve got months to dissect everything about Alabama-Michigan. What do you think of the hype behind this game? Can it live up to the talk?

M.R.: Yes and no. If people understand that it is an opener and both teams are going to make some errors, I think it'll be a pretty good football game. Hype always concerns me because very rarely do games live up to it -- Kentucky-Indiana in last season's Sweet 16 was an exception -- but this will be two of the top teams in the nation playing. I'm expecting a competitive game.

Q: Give me your argument for Michigan beating Alabama in Cowboy Stadium.

M.R.: If Denard Robinson has improved as much as he and offensive coordinator Al Borges say he has, he'll be a tough player for Alabama to deal with, especially as it breaks in new players on defense. Robinson is usually good for two or three long runs a game. If those long runs turn into touchdowns, especially early, Michigan will have confidence.

Q: And, now, what are some obstacles that might prevent that from happening?

M.R.: Speed and overall talent. Alabama is perennially one of the top recruiting teams in the country and whenever Nick Saban looks like he might have a team taking a step back, that team ends up in the middle of the SEC conference title talk anyway. Michigan also is replacing David Molk at center and if snaps don't go well the first few series, confidence in the shotgun could become an issue with new center Ricky Barnum. There are still major questions about Robinson's accuracy so if he hasn't improved like Michigan claims, it could be a long night because he is prone to making a few bad decisions a game with the ball.

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The rundown

Michigan's 2011 record: 11-2

All-time against the SEC: 24-8

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MOBILE, Ala. -- Wide receivers better be careful coming over the middle against St. Paul’s Episcopal School this year because linebacker Tre Williams is likely to level you.

In Friday’s spring game against a team out of Mississippi, one receiver made the mistake of trying to catch a ball over the middle. Williams found him and laid out the smaller player as soon as he made contact with the football.

“Coach said he hadn’t seen me hit all spring, so I had to give him something,” Williams said. “I had to get a good hit in.”

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LSU has long held a bit of a foothold in the fertile recruiting grounds of east Texas -- that's not surprising.

What does come as a bit of a shock is the way the SEC's ever-expanding footprint is changing the nature of recruiting in the nation's largest, most talent-laden state. The success and exposure of teams like LSU and Alabama is catching the attention of top targets in Texas. With the recruiting cycle starting earlier than ever, this is highlighted specifically in the case of Texas' talented crop of 2014 defensive backs.

While Texas has long played by its own rules when recruiting its own territory, that might not be good enough anymore with teams like the Tigers and Crimson Tide identifying talent so early. The addition of Texas A&M to the SEC has allowed recruiters from schools like LSU and Alabama to sell Texas kids (and parents) on the notion of "returning home" twice in their college careers to play at Texas A&M. The addition of wide receives coach Adam Henry - a Beaumont, Texas native - to LSU's staff further solidifies LSU's Lone Star State chops.

HornsNation writer Max Olson has the full scoop here in an ESPN Insider story.

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Every other week, TideNation writers Alex Scarborough and Greg Ostendorf will answer a handful of questions that address a pressing topic regarding the Alabama football program. And with every Roundtable, we'll seek out the opinions of a guest. This week's contributor is ESPN SEC blogger Chris Low.

Question: Do you expect a drop in production in this season’s secondary as compared to the last?

Alex Scarborough: By the end of the year, I believe the production will be there. That said, I think there will be some growing pains along the way with so many players adjusting to new roles. We’ll know just how good they are Week 1. Denard Robinson will test containment and the defensive backs’ ability to stay with receivers. If the UA secondary can weather a few early storms, it will be just fine.

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Recruiting hasn’t slowed down for Brendan Langley, but the ESPN 150 defensive back has been trying to lay low and take it easy in recent weeks.

The Marietta, Ga., Kell High School prospect has put the recruiting process aside as he finished up the track season and started in with the football team for spring practice. Although he only worked out on the gridiron for a week, Langley believes he still got something out of it.

“I was only there for the second week, so it was pretty short, but it was fun,” he said. “I learned a lot. That’s always my goal going into things is to learn something, take something out of it, and I believe I did. In my opinion, it was productive. It was fun, and I’m just ready to get to the summer, get to these 7-on-7s, a couple camps and make my decision.”

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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- Grant Hill doesn’t know what it feels like to have time off these days, but that’s just fine with him. That’s the life you live when you’re a two-sport athlete in high school, not to mention a two-sport athlete headed to the University of Alabama.

Hill, who committed to the Crimson Tide in February, is considered one of the top offensive lineman in the state for 2013, and he’s also one of the state’s top discus throwers. He set both a sectional and school record last month with a discus throw of 184 feet.

After the track season wrapped up, Hill took just one day off before he was back out on the football field, preparing for Huntsville High School’s spring game.

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When Seth Greenberg was fired last month from Virginia Tech, ESPN 100 power forward Montrezl Harrell (Tarboro, N.C./Hargrave Military) announced he would ask out of his scholarship. After a prolonged period, he was finally released from his letter of intent.

Now that Harrell is free to weigh his options, five programs are in the mix -- Louisville, Florida, Kentucky, Alabama and NC State.

Louisville has a unique tie because current Cardinals assistant Kevin Keatts was the head coach at Hargrave Military Academy when Harrell initially agreed to spend his senior season in Chatman. When Keatts left for Louisville, his protégé at Hargrave Military Academy, A.W. Hamilton, kept Harrell and coached him last season. Harrell will visit Louisville on May 31, according to the Rocky Mountain Telegram.

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The most experienced unit returning from the University of Alabama’s national championship squad a year ago is the offensive line. However, the unit is likely to lose at least three starters after this season. With the Tide signing just two offensive lineman in 2012, the opportunity is there for a player to come in and make an early impact in this year’s class. Alabama already has three commitments on the line: Bradley Bozeman, Andy Dodd and Grant Hill. All three possess the ability to play either right tackle or guard, but none of them are ideal for the left tackle spot. The staff is still looking for that prototype left tackle, and it could also add a center in this class. Expect the class to have at least five, if not six offensive linemen when it’s all said and done.

Bradley Bozeman - Roanoke, Ala.

Bozeman, a native of Alabama, has been all Crimson Tide since the recruiting process began. He became the first member of the Tide’s 2013 class when he committed last June, and he’s taken an active role in trying to bring in other recruits. At 6-foot-5, he has the size to play tackle, and UA head coach Nick Saban told Bozeman he’d like to start him at right tackle when he gets to Tuscaloosa. He’s lost close to 20 pounds since his junior season ended, and he’s a step quicker as a result of it. At the Atlanta NFTC in April, Bozeman only got beat once in the one-on-ones and proved to be one of the top offensive linemen at the camp.

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With the recruiting process behind him, Cooper Bateman looked confident and relaxed at the Oakland Elite 11 regional over the weekend. The Salt Lake City quarterback had already earned an invite to the finals, but he still came out to compete.

The week before the event, Bateman committed to the University of Alabama, giving the Crimson Tide their highest-rated quarterback since Phillip Sims signed with UA in 2010.

Bateman, a member of the ESPN 150 and the No. 6 ranked quarterback in the nation, chose Alabama over his other finalists, Auburn, Florida, LSU and Washington. He talked to ESPN’s Recruiting Nation about his commitment.

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Alabama picked up a very good interior run stuffer this weekend in Darius Paige (Pensacola, Fla./Booker T. Washington) and now they have kicked off the week by adding an athletic and disruptive edge player in Jonathan Allen (Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge).

The ESPN 150 prospect is listed as a defensive end, but in Alabama's scheme should fit well in more of the 'Jack' Backer role. He is a physically good looking kid with broad shoulders and he should be able to pack on some more needed mass with further physical development.

He moves well, both in straight-line speed and ability to change directions, and displays the ability to read on the run quickly. Those traits allow him to be a real active and disruptive defender. He can be a violent tackler. He has very good initial quicks that should aid him as a linebacker, but that first-step quickness could also allow him to be dangerous rushing off the edge.

Allen has room to improve, but is a nice fit for Alabama's defense as he can put his hand down and rush off the edge while also being athletic enough to be able to stand up and play in space. He will need development, but the athletic tools, toughness, and motor are there for this kid to be a real good college defender. It has been a very good couple of days for Alabama's front seven between the additions of Paige and now Allen.

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