ESPN College Football

Our Friday offering of lunch links:

• Jeff Schultz of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that bowls and the BCS need to be kept away from a college football playoff.
• LSU doesn't want to forget its loss to Alabama in last season's BCS National Championship Game.
• Roger Goodell may also sentence former Alabama star linebacker Rolando McClain, writes Kevin Scarbinsky of The Birmingham News.
• How important will style of play be in Arkansas' search for its long-term head football coach?
• David Climer of The Tennessean writes that more expansion is coming in the SEC. The question: Where's it coming from?
• LSU lands a commitment from junior college receiver Quantavius Leslie.
• Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News says Texas A&M may have the state of Texas' best football team in 2012, but that won't mean much in the SEC.
• Longtime high school coach Daryl Jones joins Georgia's program as director of on-campus recruiting.

A look at what's making headlines in the SEC:

• There's no more hot seat for Georgia's Mark Richt and LSU's Les Miles.
• Georgia president Michael Adams would be surprised if Richt weren't the Bulldogs' coach next season.
• Georgia nose guard John Jenkins is growing with each game.
• Former Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain is arrested after being accused of putting a gun to somebody's head and then discharging the weapon.
• It's no time to panic for the Auburn Tigers despite their 7-5 record, writes Joel Erickson of The Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer.
• Tennessee coach Derek Dooley can't ignore his own role in the Vols' collapse, writes David Climer of The Tennessean.
• Vanderbilt is set to announce a new contract for coach James Franklin, Jeff Lockridge of The Tennessean reports.
• Quay Evans, one of the top defensive tackle prospects in the country, commits to Mississippi State. Evans, who's from Morton, Miss., is ranked as the No. 7 tackle prospect nationally by ESPN.
• It just got more difficult recruiting the state of Florida with Urban Meyer at Ohio State, writes Chris Hays of The Orlando Sentinel.
• Arkansas offensive coordinator Garrick McGee and Auburn running backs coach Curtis Luper are finalists for the UAB head coaching job, reports Steve Irvine of The Birmingham News.

Alabama coach Nick Saban was asked about his offensive line earlier this week.

Never missing a chance to send a message, Saban went into an abbreviated version of what he's been hammering home to his team for the last few weeks.

"Somewhere along the line this year, we sort of lost our edge," Saban said. "I’m not talking about our offensive line. I’m talking about our team, and I’m talking about the intangible edge of playing with toughness and giving effort. We got too satisfied with winning and not playing to a standard."

There are some things Saban absolutely won't budge on, and one of them is doing things the right way and playing with focus, intensity and purpose no matter what the score or the opponent.

I think back to the 2008 season and can still hear him in the adjacent locker room skewering his team following a lackluster second half against Georgia, even though Alabama won 41-30 on the road against a Georgia team ranked No. 3 coming into the game. Saban was furious, though, with how his team played in the second half.

In short, they lost their edge.

He's had his foot on the throat of this team ever since he sensed something was missing in the first half of that Arkansas game back on Sept. 18. It didn't catch up with the Tide then, but it did a few weeks later in Columbia when they had their 19-game winning streak snapped by South Carolina.

You've heard him talk a lot recently about toughness. He's challenged his team repeatedly in that area.

Is this team tough enough?

We're going to find out, but Saban said there's no question that losing that edge this season has affected Alabama's entire team.

"If we’re going to be a good football team and continue to improve, it’s going to be important that we get that back," said Saban, whose club faces Tennessee on Saturday night in Knoxville.

One of the reasons the Crimson Tide never lost that edge a year ago was Rolando McClain, particularly on defense. He was as hard on his teammates (sometimes harder) as Saban. Alabama misses his presence, not only in the middle of that defense with his productivity and all of his knowledge, but the Tide also miss him in the locker room.

"Rolando McClain was the alpha dog of that group, the signal-caller," Saban said. "Having that kind inspirational leader is always difficult to replace."

If you’re going to play defense for Nick Saban, you better be versatile.

And ideally, you better be able to fill a couple of different roles, especially with Alabama playing as much situational defense as it does in its 3-4 scheme.

Dont’a Hightower exemplifies the kind of hybrid player Saban is looking for, and it’s no coincidence that Saban called him the best linebacker in the country when he was recruiting Hightower as part of the Crimson Tide’s star-studded 2008 signing class.

“He’s already played a lot of good football for us, but his role on this team is only going to grow,” Saban said.

The 6-foot-4, 260-pound Hightower will take over for Rolando McClain this season as Alabama’s middle linebacker. He’ll call the signals, make the checks and be the quarterback on defense when the Crimson Tide are in their base set.

But on passing downs, Hightower will become a defensive end. He’ll slide outside, put his hand down and rush the passer. And there may even be times when the Crimson Tide are in their nickel defense that he drops into coverage.

“That’s part of the fun of playing in this defense,” said Hightower, who’s battled back from a season-ending knee injury in the fourth game a year ago. “There are so many layers to this defense. We’re always coming at a team from a different angle, throwing a different wrinkle at them and using guys in different roles.

“I take a lot of pride in being able to move around and give us something against the run and the pass. That’s what this defense is based on. We want to dictate the matchups, not them.”

Hightower has tremendous speed for a guy his size. In fact, he’s faster than McClain was covering sideline to sideline and has excellent burst off the edge when he’s rushing the passer.

One of the keys in utilizing Hightower extensively this season as a pass-rusher is somebody else, namely Chris Jordan or Nico Johnson, demonstrating that they can handle all the duties of middle linebacker when Hightower does move outside.

Last season, McClain stayed in the middle and didn’t move around. A big part of his value was knowing the Alabama defense inside and out, and he ran things from his middle linebacker position.

“He was a good blitzer. He was a playmaker. He made a lot of plays,” Saban said of McClain. “But he was the signal-caller and stayed in that position all the time. I’m hopeful that Dont’a will not just have to be the signal-caller all the time, so he can play some of those other roles as well, because they are tremendous assets for him and would be assets for our defense.”

Hightower scoffs when he hears somebody say the Crimson Tide can’t possibly be as hungry as they were last season after going 14-0 and winning the national championship.

“I think we’ll be even hungrier, especially on defense,” Hightower said. “We want our own ring, and we all have something to prove. I know I do. I don’t want people to be able to say, ‘He came back from his knee injury, but was never the same again.’

“I want my best football to be ahead of me.”

If this next guy in our countdown of the SEC’s 25 best players hadn’t been injured last season, he might be even higher on this list.

No. 7: Dont’a Hightower, LB, Jr., Alabama

2009 numbers: Recorded 16 tackles, including four for loss, in his first four games before being injured. Also had a sack.

Most recent ranking: Not ranked in preseason or postseason countdown for 2009.

Making the case for Hightower: Because he played in only four games last season, the 6-foot-4, 260-pound Hightower might be off the radar for some people. But he rehabilitated like a mad man from a left knee injury that cut short his sophomore season and was back out there going through contact this spring. Alabama coach Nick Saban thought Hightower was the best linebacker prospect in the country when he signed him, and if he stays healthy next season, Hightower will prove just how good he really is. A first-team Freshman All-American two years ago, Hightower became one of only 11 true freshmen in Alabama history since 1972 to start the season opener. He’ll move over to the middle linebacker position in 2010 to take over for Rolando McClain, but is also one of the Crimson Tide’s best pass-rushers. He’ll play the Jack linebacker rush position on passing downs and is one of those players offensive coordinators want to know where he is on every down. Hightower’s knee injury was a serious one. He tore the ACL, MCL and meniscus, but looked like his old explosive self in the spring. The real test will be this fall. If he is indeed all the way back, the Crimson Tide could be looking at their second consecutive Butkus Award winner.

The rundown

No. 8: Mike Pouncey, C/G, Sr., Florida

No. 9: Pernell McPhee, DE, Sr., Mississippi State

No. 10: Jerrell Powe, NT, Sr., Ole Miss

No. 11: Trent Richardson, RB, So., Alabama

No. 12: Stephon Gilmore, CB, So., South Carolina

No. 13: Kelvin Sheppard, LB, Sr., LSU

No. 14: Randall Cobb, WR/QB, Jr., Kentucky

No. 15: Janoris Jenkins, CB, Jr., Florida

No. 16: Mark Barron, S, Jr., Alabama

No.17: Darvin Adams, WR, Jr., Auburn

No. 18: Alshon Jeffery, WR, So., South Carolina

No. 19: D.J. Williams, TE, Sr., Arkansas

No. 20: Cliff Matthews, DE, Sr., South Carolina

No. 21: Clint Boling, OT, Sr., Georgia

No. 22: Greg Childs, WR, Jr., Arkansas

No. 23: Washaun Ealey, RB, So., Georgia

No. 24: Chris Marve, LB, Jr., Vanderbilt

No. 25: Luke Stocker, TE, Sr., Tennessee

As we count down the top 25 players in the SEC going into the 2010 season, I thought we'd take one final look back at both the postseason and preseason lists from a year ago.

Notice some of the omissions in the preseason list.

No Mark Ingram. No Ryan Mallett. No Maurkice Pouncey and no Ben Tate.

Also, keep in mind that we did 30 players last year and only 25 this year, which makes this an even more impossible task.

The SEC's 30 best players, 2009 postseason:

• No. 1: Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama
• No. 2: Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama
• No. 3: Dexter McCluster, RB/WR, Ole Miss
• No. 4: Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
• No. 5: Eric Berry, S, Tennessee
• No. 6: Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas
• No. 7: Anthony Dixon, RB, Mississippi State
• No. 8: Javier Arenas, CB, Alabama
• No. 9: Joe Haden, CB, Florida
• No. 10: Antonio Coleman, DE, Auburn
• No. 11: Aaron Hernandez, TE, Florida
• No. 12: Eric Norwood, OLB, South Carolina
• No. 13: Brandon Spikes, LB, Florida
• No. 14: Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU
• No. 15: Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida
• No. 16: Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee
• No. 17: Ben Tate, RB, Auburn
• No. 18: Montario Hardesty, RB, Tennessee
• No. 19: Mike Johnson, OG, Alabama
• No. 20: Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida
• No. 21: Rennie Curran, LB, Georgia
• No. 22: Randall Cobb, QB/WR, Kentucky
• No. 23: Shay Hodge, WR, Ole Miss
• No. 24: A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
• No. 25: Pernell McPhee, DE, Mississippi State
• No. 26: Malcolm Sheppard, DT, Arkansas
• No. 27: Mark Barron, S, Alabama
• No. 28: Terrence Cody, NG, Alabama
• No. 29: Brandon LaFell, WR, LSU
• No. 30: Julio Jones, WR, Alabama

The SEC's 30 best players, 2009 preseason:

• No. 1: Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
• No. 2: Eric Berry, S, Tennessee
• No. 3: Jevan Snead, QB, Ole Miss
• No. 4: Brandon Spikes, LB, Florida
• No. 5: Julio Jones, WR, Alabama
• No. 6: A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
• No. 7: Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama
• No. 8: Trevard Lindley, CB, Kentucky
• No. 9: Greg Hardy, DE, Ole Miss
• No. 10: Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida
• No. 11: Eric Norwood, OLB, South Carolina
• No. 12: Antonio Coleman, DE, Auburn
• No. 13: Ciron Black, OT, LSU
• No. 14: Terrence Cody, NG, Alabama
• No. 15: D.J. Williams, TE, Arkansas
• No. 16: Rennie Curran, LB, Georgia
• No. 17: Joe Haden, CB, Florida
• No. 18: Michael Smith, RB, Arkansas
• No. 19: Charles Scott, RB, LSU
• No. 20: Malcolm Sheppard, DT, Arkansas
• No. 21: Brandon LaFell, WR, LSU
• No. 22: Jeffery Demps, RB/WR, Florida
• No. 23: John Jerry, OT, Ole Miss
• No. 24: Chad Jones, S, LSU
• No. 25: Geno Atkins, DT, Georgia
• No. 26: Anthony Dixon, RB, Mississippi State
• No. 27: Javier Arenas, CB/RS, Alabama
• No. 28: Micah Johnson, LB, Kentucky
• No. 29: Dexter McCluster, RB/WR, Ole Miss
• No. 30: Myron Lewis, CB, Vanderbilt

2009 overall record: 14-0, BCS national champions

2009 conference record: 8-0, SEC champions

Returning starters

Offense: 8; Defense: 3; Kicker/punter: 0

Top returners

QB Greg McElroy, RB Mark Ingram, RB Trent Richardson, WR Julio Jones, OG Barrett Jones, DE Marcell Dareus, LB Dont’a Hightower, S Mark Barron

Key losses

TE Colin Peek, OG Mike Johnson, NG Terrence Cody, DE Brandon Deaderick, LB Rolando McClain, CB Javier Arenas, CB Kareem Jackson, PK Leigh Tiffin

2009 statistical leaders (* returners)

Rushing: Mark Ingram* (1,658 yards)

Passing: Greg McElroy* (2,508 yards)

Receiving: Julio Jones* (596 yards)

Tackles: Rolando McClain (105)

Sacks: Marcell Dareus* (6.5)

Interceptions: Mark Barron* (7)

Spring answers

1. Running to glory: Imagine having the two best running backs in the SEC on the same team. There’s no imagining to it for the Crimson Tide, who will seek to ride Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson to a second straight BCS national championship next season. Ingram won the Heisman Trophy last season, but there are some in and around the Alabama program who think Richardson is even better. They both are fabulous after-contact runners and can also break the long one. The only problem will be splitting up the carries. What a problem to have, huh?

2. Hightower’s return: Despite a complete reconstruction of his left knee last year following his injury against Arkansas in the fourth week, linebacker Dont’a Hightower was back on the practice field this spring and even went through some contact the final week. Getting him back was critical, because he plays so many roles for the Crimson Tide. He’ll step in for Rolando McClain at middle linebacker in the base defense, plays in the nickel and rushes the passer from his jack linebacker spot on passing downs. If Hightower is indeed close to 100 percent next season, he’ll be one of the better defenders in the league.

3. Loaded at quarterback: Everybody knows what Greg McElroy did in his first full season as the starter. He made the plays he had to, protected the football – and most importantly – didn’t lose a game. He returns as the starter, but also has a ton of talent behind him. Nick Saban said it’s the best the quarterback situation has looked at Alabama since he took over in 2007. Redshirt freshman A.J. McCarron threw the ball as well as anybody this spring and is ready if something should happen to McElroy. And true freshman Phillip Sims, who enrolled early and went through spring practice, might have the best upside of all three.

Fall questions

1. Inexperience in the secondary: With the exception of junior safety Mark Barron, who led the SEC in interceptions, the Crimson Tide lost everybody in the secondary who made a play for them last season. That means a lot of new (and inexperienced) faces will be on the field next season from the outset, which is never the way you want to go into a season. At least, the Crimson Tide will be talented in their defensive backfield. Sophomore cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick has star potential, and true freshmen DeMarcus Milliner and John Fulton also showcased their talent this spring. But Saban will be the first to tell you that inexperience in the secondary can be a killer. It also didn’t help that junior college signee DeQuan Menzie ruptured his Achilles tendon and won't be available next season.

2. Kicking and punting: The unsung hero for Alabama last season was place-kicker Leigh Tiffin, who was so clutch and made 30-of-35 field goal attempts. Punter P.J. Fitzgerald was also solid. Both of those guys are now gone, though, and chances are a couple of freshmen will be filling their shoes. Place-kicker Cade Foster went through spring practice, while punter Jay Williams will be on campus this summer. Replacing Javier Arenas' return skills won't be easy, either.

3. Staying the course: Don’t ask Saban about the chances of Alabama defending its national championship. He’ll quickly tell you the Crimson Tide aren’t defending anything. And he’s right. The key in coming back after a championship season and doing it again is keeping your focus straight ahead and not getting caught up in what you’ve just accomplished. That’s easier said than done. Is the leadership on this team good enough to do that? Can Alabama keep that same game-to-game concentration that made the Tide so good last season? Are these guys still hungry? We’re going to find out.

The SEC's seven first-round NFL draft picks on Thursday night was second to the Big 12's nine.

The SEC has now had five picks in the top 20 of the first round four years in a row.

The first-round proceedings Thursday night reminded us all one more time that how decorated you are at the college level and how many awards you win aren't real important in the eyes of pro scouts.

Take Alabama cornerback Kareem Jackson, for instance. He played in the shadow of Javier Arenas all season a year ago. Arenas was a consensus All-American and one of the "stars" of the defense. It was all Jackson could do to earn honorable mention All-SEC status.

Still, he was solid all season as a shutdown cornerback, ran great times in the 40-yard dash and wound up being the fourth defender drafted from the league, going 20th overall to the Houston Texans.

Jackson is another one of those guys who wasn't highly recruited, either. He went to Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy out of school even though he was qualified academically and was committed initially to Vanderbilt until Nick Saban and Alabama jumped on him.

Say this, too, for Jackson. He's supremely confident in his abilities. He turned pro this past season despite Saban telling him he needed another season of college ball.

As for guys who slipped, who would have thought at the end of the regular season last year that Florida defensive end Carlos Dunlap wouldn't go in the first round?

At that point, he was being projected as a top 15 pick by all the analysts. But that next week, he was arrested on DUI charges, was suspended for the SEC championship game, and apparently some of his interviews with teams following the season didn't go well.

In Friday night's second and third rounds, one of the SEC guys to watch will be LSU defensive tackle Al Woods. After a so-so college career, Woods really shot up draft boards this offseason with solid workouts.

And who will be the first SEC player to get picked in the second round?

I'll go with Alabama's Terrence Cody, but my dark horse is Ole Miss' Dexter McCluster.

Here's the complete list of SEC first-rounders on Thursday:

• No. 5 -- S Eric Berry, Tennessee, Kansas City Chiefs
• No. 7 -- CB Joe Haden, Florida, Cleveland Browns
• No. 8 -- LB Rolando McClain, Alabama, Oakland Raiders
• No. 18 -- C/G Maurkice Pouncey, Florida, Pittsburgh Steelers
• No. 20 - CB Kareem Jackson, Alabama, Houston Texans
• No. 25 -- QB Tim Tebow, Florida, Denver Broncos
• No. 26 -- DT Dan Williams, Tennessee, Arizona Cardinals

Alabama got the answer it had hoped for concerning Dont’a Hightower’s surgically repaired knee this spring.

He feverishly worked his way back in six months and actually went through some contact, his knee looking as strong as ever.

If he stays healthy, Hightower will undoubtedly be one of the best linebackers in the SEC, maybe one of the best in the country.

But for the Alabama defense to approach the dizzying standard it set a year ago during its national championship run, Hightower will have to take on much more of a leadership role.

It’s something he’s talked at length with Alabama coach Nick Saban about and a duty Hightower takes as seriously as chasing down a quarterback on third down.

“I’m ready. I led in high school,” Hightower said. “When I got here, I really didn’t have to lead. My freshman year, we had Rashad [Johnson]. And then last year, we had Rolando [McClain] and Javy [Arenas].

“I feel comfortable enough, knowing this defense, to be a leader, and I feel comfortable enough knowing that my teammates respect me. I just feel really confident in my knowledge of this defense and everything it takes to be a leader.”

The Crimson Tide will use Hightower in a number of different roles again this season. He’s their middle linebacker in their base defense, also plays in the nickel and moves to the pass-rushing jack linebacker position on passing downs.

The 6-foot-4 Hightower said he got up to around 270 pounds after his surgery and ended the spring at a little more than 260. He’d like to play at 255 next season.

“Just having him out there was good for everybody, even those of us on offense,” Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy said. “When you’re going against players of his caliber every day, it can’t help but make you better. You don’t see guys that fast, that big and that explosive every day.”

Watching his teammates win the national championship last season after going down the fourth week of the season was bittersweet for Hightower.

It killed him not being out there.

“The pain was there, and I didn’t want to do the rehab at first,” Hightower said. “But I looked out on the field and saw how much success we were having, and that just drove me more and more.

“I know the record says we won a national championship. But to me, it didn’t really feel like I did anything. We had a lot of success, and I’m glad that we did. But I can’t help but feel that I didn’t have a lot to do with it besides being a coach. That just motivates me more and more to get back to where we were last year and win another national championship.”

Hightower’s assessment of the 2010 version of Alabama’s defense is pretty simple.

“Relentless and fast,” he said.

And for anybody thinking that the Crimson Tide will be content with what they accomplished last season, Hightower said they might want to think again.

“I don’t feel like we’re thinking, ‘We won a national championship last year, so we don’t have to work as hard,’” Hightower said. “I think it’s more, ‘We know what it takes to get to the national championship again, so let’s not deviate from the plan we had last year. Let’s come in with more energy, more enthusiasm, more mental focus, and let’s do it again … even better.’”

ESPN draft expert Todd McShay has six SEC players going in the first round in his latest mock draft.

Former Tennessee teammates Eric Berry and Dan Williams will both go in the top 10 picks, according to McShay, who has Berry going No. 7 overall to the Cleveland Browns and Williams No. 9 overall to the Buffalo Bills.

If that happens, Berry and Williams would become the first SEC defensive teammates to go in the top 10 picks of the same draft since Alabama defensive ends John Copeland and Eric Curry went Nos. 5 and 6 in the 1993 draft.

Speaking of first-rounders, anybody want to venture a guess on which SEC team produced the most during the past decade?

Georgia and Tennessee each had 10 from 2000-09. During that stretch, the Vols failed to win an SEC championship, while Georgia won two.

Every SEC team last decade produced at least one first-rounder with the exception of Mississippi State, which hasn't had a player drafted in the first round since defensive back Walt Harris went No. 13 overall and receiver Eric Moulds No. 24 overall in the 1996 draft.

LSU produced nine first-rounders last decade, and seven of those came in the past four years. Alabama produced just three first-rounders during the decade, and offensive tackle Andre Smith last year broke an eight-year drought for the Crimson Tide of not having a first-round selection.

Here's a breakdown of SEC first-rounders over the past decade:

Georgia -- 10

Tennessee -- 10

Florida -- 9

LSU -- 9

Arkansas -- 6

Auburn -- 6

Ole Miss -- 6

South Carolina -- 4

Alabama -- 3

Vanderbilt -- 2

Kentucky -- 1

ESPN's NFL draft gurus, Mel Kiper and Todd McShay, have unveiled their latest mock drafts , and there's a chance that former Tennessee teammates Eric Berry and Dan Williams could be the top two SEC players to be selected in this year's draft.

Kiper has Berry going No. 5 overall to the Kansas City Chiefs and Williams No. 12 overall to the Miami Dolphins. McShay has Berry going No. 6 overall to the Seattle Seahawks and Williams No. 7 overall to the Cleveland Browns.

The Vols haven't had two players go in the top 10 picks of the draft since offensive tackles Charles McRae and Antone Davis went Nos. 7 and 8 in 1991.

The last time two SEC defenders from the same team went in the top 10 picks of the draft was 1993 when Alabama defensive ends John Copeland and Eric Curry went Nos. 5 and 6.

So in retrospect, Tennessee might not have been hurting for talent last season nearly as much as former coach Lane Kiffin repeatedly claimed the Vols were.

The other SEC player projected to go high in this year's draft is Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain. Kiper has him going No. 15 to the New York Giants, and McShay has him going No. 11 to the Denver Broncos.

Rounding out the SEC players, Kiper has Florida cornerback Joe Haden going No. 13 to the San Francisco 49ers, Florida center/guard Maurkice Pouncey No. 18 to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Alabama cornerback Kareem Jackson No. 24 to the Philadelphia Eagles.

McShay also has Pouncey going No. 18 to the Eagles, Haden No. 20 to the Houston Texans, Alabama nose guard Terrence Cody No. 28 to the San Diego Chargers and Jackson No. 30 to the Minnesota Vikings.

Alabama hasn't had three first-round selections since 1993 when Copeland, Curry and safety George Teague all went in the top 29 picks.

In fact, until offensive tackle Andre Smith went No. 6 overall in last year's draft, the Crimson Tide had gone eight straight years without producing a first-round pick.

Needless to say, that drought is over.

One of the most surprising storylines of the spring to me is that Alabama linebacker Dont’a Hightower is full go and doing everything in practice.

This coming only six months after he had reconstructive knee surgery.

Hightower hurt his left knee last Sept. 26 against Arkansas when he was cut-blocked.

Not only did he tear the anterior cruciate ligament, but he also tore the medial collateral ligament and meniscus. The original diagnosis was that he probably wouldn’t be cleared until right before the start of preseason practice in August.

Hightower had other ideas and worked feverishly to get back, and even lobbied to practice out in California in January prior to the BCS National Championship Game.

It’s doubtful that Hightower will be allowed to scrimmage. Alabama doesn’t want to take any chances, although coach Nick Saban said Hightower could play in a game right now if there were one this weekend.

Hightower steps in as the replacement for Rolando McClain as the Crimson Tide’s middle linebacker, but will also shift to more of a pass-rushing role on the outside on third down.

Given some of the inexperience surrounding Hightower at linebacker, it’s a plus that he’s practicing this spring.

Everybody knows he’s a great player when he’s healthy. But if you’re going to become a great leader, you have to be out there with your teammates.

"I didn't want to be one of those guys who'd be like, 'He's not going to be the same,'" Hightower said of his speedy recovery. "I used that as motivation to be where I am today."

A few SEC links to munch on:

• Former Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain reveals that he's battling Crohn's disease and had to cut his workout short Wednesday for pro scouts.

• Former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow scores below other top quarterbacks on the Wonderlic test, reports Edgar Thompson of The Palm Beach Post.

• Former Florida defensive back Wondy Pierre-Louis pleads no contest to criminal mischief.

• After a disappointing 40-yard dash time at the NFL combine, former Kentucky linebacker Micah Johnson redeems himself at the Wildcats' pro day.

• LSU's Terrance Toliver apologizes for his role in last weekend's bar fight.

• South Carolina backup quarterback Aramis Hillary is arrested on alcohol-related charges, Joseph Person of The State newspaper reports.

Former Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain had a shortened workout for NFL scouts Wednesday during the Crimson Tide's pro day.

McClain said he ran in the 4.6 range in the 40-yard dash, but the biggest news to come out of the workout was McClain's revelation that he has battled Crohn's disease since he was a freshman in high school. McClain said he takes four or five pills a day to help him manage the disease, which is a chronic inflammation of the intestines.

McClain also said that he's dealt with a hamstring injury since the Tennessee game last season. He hopes to run the 40-yard dash again and get his time down.

Former Alabama nose guard Terrence Cody weighed in at 349 pounds Tuesday. That's after weighing 370 at the Senior Bowl, which no doubt hurt his stock. Cody wants to be down to 340 pounds by the draft.

Former Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain didn't work out Monday at the NFL combine because he was still recovering from a hamstring injury.

McClain's agent told the NFL Network's Mike Mayock that McClain has been receiving treatment for an injured hamstring twice per day over the past month. McClain plans to do all of the drills at Alabama's pro day on March 10.

McClain measured at 6-foot-3 and 254 pounds. He's projected to go in the top half of the first round.