ESPN College Football

It’s fair to say that junior college defensive tackles have made huge impacts for the last two national champions.

Auburn’s Nick Fairley was the Lombardi Award winner last season and led the SEC with 24 tackles for loss. Oregon coach Chip Kelly said he was the difference in the BCS National Championship Game.

The year before, Alabama’s Terrence Cody was a first-team All-American and a one-man fortress against anybody who tried to run the ball between the tackles against the Crimson Tide. Cody also saved Alabama’s season by blocking a Tennessee field-goal attempt as time expired.

Will there be one of those guys this coming season in the SEC?

Time will tell, but there are certainly some candidates. What’s more, it appears that teams in this league are mining junior colleges as diligently as ever trying to find that dominant interior defensive lineman.

At Arkansas, sophomore Robert Thomas is getting a ton of reps this spring, especially with injuries to starters Byran Jones and DeQuinta Jones. The 6-2, 325-pound Thomas signed with Arkansas out of high school, but wound up at Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College. Now he’s back as a redshirt sophomore, and his athleticism and strength this spring have been hard to miss.

Once Thomas becomes a little more acclimated with the playbook, and he will by the fall, the Arkansas coaches think he will be a key component up front.

You look around the league, and several other schools will be counting heavily in 2011 on junior college defensive tackles.

John Jenkins has yet to arrive at Georgia, but there’s no doubt that he will be one of the keys for the Bulldogs in that 3-4 defense. They’ve moved DeAngelo Tyson to end and are confident the 340-pound Tyson can slide in at nose guard and command double teams -- something they didn’t have a year ago in the first season in Todd Grantham’s 3-4 system.

The most important signee for Tennessee’s Derek Dooley this past February may well have been Maurice Couch, a 6-2, 305-pound defensive tackle from Garden City (Kan.) Community College.

Couch also arrives this summer, and the Vols need an enforcer up front in the middle of that defense. They have very little depth and are undersized, although Malik Jackson played well once he moved inside last season.

At Alabama, fans can’t wait to get a look at a healthy Jesse Williams, who’s been dealing with some soreness in his knee following minor knee surgery. But the 320-pound Williams, coming over from Arizona Western College, is a physical specimen and was a highly coveted junior college defensive tackle. He’s from Australia and is expected to make an immediate impact at nose guard in the fall.

The same goes for Gilbert Pena at Ole Miss. The 6-2, 336-pound Pena is already on campus and going through spring practice with the Rebels, who lost four senior defensive tackles, including nose tackle Jerrell Powe. Pena didn’t go to college initially and instead worked for more than three years to help take care of his mother, who was battling cancer at the time. Pena, who’s originally from Yonkers, N.Y., spent his last two years at ASA College in Brooklyn, N.Y., before coming to Ole Miss.

A twirl around the SEC:

• The door is open for Ole Miss redshirt freshman receiver Vincent Sanders to become a big part of the Rebels' offense.
• The search is on at Mississippi State to find Pernell McPhee's replacement at defensive end.
• Can John Jenkins do for Georgia what Terrence Cody did for Alabama at noseguard?
• Former South Carolina tight end Weslye Saunders is working his way back.
• Mike Berardino of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel writes that former Auburn player Stanley McClover deserves praise for blowing the whistle on the Tigers.
• A rebuilding year is likely on the way for Auburn's linebacker corps.
• Alabama is proceeding with caution at the safety position this spring.
• Alabama defensive end Damion Square, his knee brace gone, is back on track.
• Florida picks up its second commitment from a defensive lineman in a week -- Quinteze Williams of Tyrone, Ga.

SEC commissioner Mike Slive wasn’t real interested a couple of weeks ago at the spring meetings in doing any backseat driving concerning the officiating last season in the league.

Obviously, it was a hot topic among the fans and hotly debated and something that will remain on the front burner heading into the 2010 season.

Nobody in the SEC office wants to go back down that road, but the reality is that there were far too many controversial (and missed) calls to suit anybody last season.

That said, here’s your chance to weigh in on which one was the worst.

Let me know if I’m forgetting one:

• LSU’s Patrick Peterson appeared to intercept a pass on the sideline in the fourth quarter of the Alabama game, but the officials on the field ruled it wasn’t an interception. It looked like he got one foot down and had possession of the ball after watching several replays. But the replay official in the booth sided with the officials on the field and ruled that there wasn't indisputable video evidence to overturn the call.

• Georgia receiver A.J. Green was whistled for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for excessive celebration after scoring a go-ahead touchdown against LSU in the final minute. The SEC came out that next week and said there was no video evidence of excessive celebration and that the flag should have never been thrown.

• Arkansas’ Malcolm Sheppard was penalized for a 15-yard personal foul for a hit 20 yards away from the ball. But replays showed that Florida offensive lineman Marcus Gilbert actually initiated the contact, and it was Sheppard who sent Gilbert to the ground. The SEC later said that no personal foul should have been called, and the crew -- the same one that worked the Georgia-LSU game -- was suspended for a week.

• In that same Arkansas-Florida game, Arkansas cornerback Ramon Broadway was called for pass interference in the end zone on Florida receiver Deonte Thompson when both players were going for the ball and it was Broadway who actually had inside position.

• Florida linebacker Dustin Doe held the ball out in celebration on the tail end of a 23-yard fumble return for a touchdown against Mississippi State, but it appeared that he might have been stripped of the ball before crossing the goal line. The play went to the replay official, who looked at it and didn’t overturn the call. Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said afterward that the replay official should be suspended and added, “I don’t even know why we have replay right now in the Southeastern Conference if they’re not going to utilize it.”

• Mississippi State quarterback Tyson Lee was penalized for throwing the ball after crossing the line of scrimmage on a fourth-down pass completion that took the Bulldogs inside the Houston 10-yard line in the third quarter. Replays showed that he was a yard behind the line when the ball left his hand, but the play wasn't reviewed by the replay official. The Bulldogs had to turn the ball over on downs and ended up losing 31-24.

• In its 16-13 loss to Army in overtime, Vanderbilt had a go-ahead touchdown nullified with 1:01 to play in regulation when receiver Udom Umoh was called for offensive pass interference on a pick play. Replays showed that Umoh was actually pushed in the back by one Army defender into another Army defender, but the penalty was called on Umoh. The Commodores had to settle for a field goal and lost in overtime.

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

Making the rounds in the SEC:

• South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier needs to change his heavy-handed approach with quarterback Stephen Garcia, writes Ron Morris of The State newspaper.
• Think twice about comparing Mississippi State's James Carmon to Terrence Cody, writes Kyle Veazey of The Jackson Clarion-Ledger.
• Tennessee freshman receiver Matt Milton has the look of an immediate impact player, writes Wes Rucker of The Chattanooga Times Free Press.
• The development of Kentucky's receivers this spring may hold the key to the Wildcats improving their passing game, writes Chip Cosby of The Lexington Herald-Leader.
• Jay G. Tate of The Montgomery Advertiser runs down Auburn's scrimmage from Wednesday.
• As Alabama points toward its A-Day spring game on Saturday, Chase Goodbread of The Tuscaloosa News writes that scrimmage stats don't equal game performance.
• Arkansas' defense responds with one of its best practices of the spring on Wednesday, writes Brandon Marcello of The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

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.

Making the rounds in the SEC:

• Georgia coach Mark Richt will decide later this week on how to punish redshirt freshman quarterback Zach Mettenberger for his alcohol-related arrest. Georgia athletic department policy mandates that Mettenberger will be suspended for at least one game.
• South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia will be looking to avoid sacks during the 2010 season.
• The Reveiz family knows the value of heart screens, writes Dave Hooker of The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• Florida coach Urban Meyer is set to return to the restocked Gators, writes Robbie Andreu of The Gainesville Sun.
• Former Alabama noseguard Terrence Cody brings a little sunshine to an Alabama fan battling cancer.
• Former Arkansas offensive guard Mitch Petrus continues to raise his draft stock with another solid workout at the Hogs' pro day.

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.

It’s only natural that most eyes will be on the secondary when defending national champion Alabama opens spring practice on Friday.

The Crimson Tide lost seven defensive backs from last season’s team, including three starters, while another one, safety Robby Green, is in limbo for this coming season.

Green’s eligibility is in question, but Alabama is appealing and hopes the matter will be resolved.

Although there might not be as many holes to fill as the secondary, the defensive line will be another area that’s closely monitored this spring.

Starters Terrence Cody, Brandon Deaderick and Lorenzo Washington are all gone, but Alabama rotated its defensive linemen throughout the season a year ago.

Noseguard Josh Chapman and ends Marcell Dareus and Luther Davis have all played. Dareus is a budding star. He led the Crimson Tide in sacks last season and was the Defensive MVP of the BCS National Championship Game. He’s poised to become one of the most dominant defensive linemen in the SEC next season.

The Crimson Tide will also need Davis to take a big step, while sophomore Kerry Murphy has the kind of ability to be a breakout player at noseguard.

Alabama coach Nick Saban really liked Damion Square’s versatility last season. He was one of their more effective inside pass-rushers until he hurt his knee. He’ll be back next season, but could be limited this spring.

Junior college newcomer Brandon Lewis is on campus and will go through spring practice, and these next 15 practices will be especially important for redshirt freshmen Chris Bonds, William Ming, Brandon Moore and Darrington Sentimore.

The numbers are there. And while there might not be a space-eater like Cody on campus, if Murphy develops the way most think he will, the Crimson Tide will again be imposing up front defensively.

The NFL combine wraps up on Tuesday, and a flood of former SEC players have left their mark -- both good and bad.

The defensive backs were the last to run the 40-yard dash, and a lot of eyes were on Tennessee safety Eric Berry.

Unofficially, his two 40-yard dash times were 4.46 and 4.40. Earlier, the 5-11, 211-pound Berry did 19 reps on the bench-press, so he certainly didn’t do anything to hurt himself and figures to be a top 10 pick.

Alabama cornerback Javier Arenas tweaked his hamstring running the 40 and didn’t go a second time. He ran a 4.52 unofficially on the first one.

Florida cornerback Joe Haden turned in a disappointing 4.57 in the 40. Again, these are unofficial times, and we’ll try to get you the official times once they’re posted later Tuesday.

Vanderbilt cornerback Myron Lewis helped himself with a 4.45 in the 40 and also weighed in at more than 200 pounds. The NFL loves big corners who can cover.

LSU safety Chad Jones ran a 4.54, but only did nine reps on the bench-press.

Georgia safety Reshad Jones was second among the safeties with 24 reps.

Mississippi State’s Jamar Chaney posted the fastest 40-yard dash time among linebackers, a 4.54. He also did 26 reps on the bench-press and recorded a 39-inch vertical jump. Chaney solidified himself as a solid mid-round pick, possibly as high as the third or fourth round.

Todd McShay of ESPN’s Scouts Inc. also felt like South Carolina outside linebacker Eric Norwood helped himself by running a 4.71 40-yard dash. At 245 pounds, Norwood also showed good lateral movement, quick feet and demonstrated all the qualities that make him an explosive pass-rusher.

A pair of former SEC linebackers that didn’t impress McShay were Kentucky’s Micah Johnson and Florida’s Brandon Spikes. Johnson (258 pounds) ran a 4.99 and didn’t change directions very well. Spikes didn’t run the 40, but looked stiff in drills.

Florida defensive end Carlos Dunlap turned in a fast 40 time (4.71), but according to scouts McShay talked with, Dunlap didn’t come across well in interviews and was characterized as lazy.

Tennessee defensive tackle Dan Williams continues to look like a first-round pick. Weighing 326 pounds, he ran a 5.17 40-yard dash and did 26 reps on the bench. He also moved fluidly during drills.

McShay thinks Alabama nose guard Terrence Cody will probably be a second-rounder. Cody shed some pounds and was down to 354, but ran a 5.68 40, the slowest among the defensive linemen.

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper has moved Alabama nose guard Terrence Cody back into the first round as the No. 28 overall pick to the San Diego Chargers in his latest mock draft.

Cody weighed in at 370 pounds at the Senior Bowl and struggled at times with his conditioning, but Kiper thinks he's a classic run-stuffing nose guard and that a 3-4 team will grab him in the first round.

"People can ask why I moved Terrence Cody back up onto my latest Big Board, and consider him a first-round guy, and here's a case that illustrates why," Kiper said. "Regardless of questions on weight or build, when you look for that 3-4 centerpiece, a guy who has the physical traits of a block-occupying clogger who will let your linebackers play with freedom, Cody's that type of guy. Dynamic or not, you know what he can give you, and on draft day, and that's a huge consideration."

Cody is one of seven SEC players in Kiper's latest first round. He has Tennessee safety Eric Berry going No. 3 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Florida cornerback Joe Haden going No. 7 to the Cleveland Browns, Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain going No. 12 to the Miami Dolphins, Florida defensive end Carlos Dunlap going No. 17 to the Tennessee Titans, Tennessee defensive tackle Dan Williams going No. 26 to the Arizona Cardinals and Florida center Maurkice Pouncey going No. 30 to Minnesota Vikings.

If you want to have a little fun at my expense, go back and look at my Top 30 players in the SEC heading into last season.

Not that I was the only one, but I didn’t even have the Heisman Trophy winner anywhere on the list. Mark Ingram didn’t make the cut. Talk about coming from nowhere to win college football’s most prestigious individual award.

Some of the other things that stick out is that I obviously had Ole Miss running back Dexter McCluster (No. 28) too low and Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead (No. 3) too high.

I also whiffed on Florida tight end Aaron Hernandez. I knew soon after completing that list that leaving Hernandez off was a bad mistake.

Others like Ole Miss’ Greg Hardy and Kentucky’s Trevard Lindley were injured and didn’t have big seasons, so I had them ranked too high.

In short, if we were doing a postseason Top 30 list in the SEC, it would look a lot different.

How different?

Let’s sketch one out and see.

Beginning today, I’ll unveil picks No. 30 through No. 26, and we’ll count it down to the top player in the SEC this season.

Keep in mind that this ranking is based on this season only, including the bowl games.

So here goes:

No. 30: Julio Jones, WR, Alabama: He was a top-5 player on the preseason list and deserved every bit of it based on a fabulous freshman season. But this season, Jones suffered a knee injury in the second game that held him back during the first half of the season. He came on once he got healthier and made a huge play in the LSU game to turn that game around. He's still a great player with great upside. He just didn't have a great sophomore season.

No. 29: Brandon LaFell, WR, LSU: Consistency was the name of the game for LaFell, who was also a member of the preseason list. LaFell led the SEC with 11 touchdown catches. That's after catching eight touchdowns as a junior. In reality, he was about the only semblance of offense the Tigers had most of the season, and they probably should have gotten him the ball even more than they did.

No. 28: Terrence Cody, NG, Alabama: He had one of the plays of the year with his blocked field goal as time expired to save the Tennessee game, and he's unquestionably a load when it comes to stopping the run. But Cody wasn't an every-down player and was probably overrated when you consider all the first-team All-America honors he raked in. There's still no denying his presence in the middle.

No. 27: Mark Barron, S, Alabama: One of the breakthrough players of the season in the SEC, Barron led the league with seven interceptions on his way to first-team All-SEC honors. His emergence helped to solidify an Alabama secondary that proved to be one of the best in the country.

No. 26: Malcolm Sheppard, DT, Arkansas: One of the bright spots for the Hogs on defense, Sheppard was a force in the middle and finished second among SEC interior defensive linemen with 11 tackles for loss. He was also effective at pushing the pocket in pass-rushing situations. He had two of his best games against the two best teams Arkansas faced -- Alabama and Florida.

The Scouts Inc. crew of Todd McShay, Steve Muench and Kevin Weidl weren't overly impressed with the performances of a couple of ex-SEC defensive stars during Wednesday's practices for the Senior Bowl.

Their assessment of South Carolina's Eric Norwood and Alabama's Terrence Cody was that their stock is dropping.

According to the Scouts Inc. crew, Norwood might end up being more of a situational guy who can help rushing the passer, but has trouble playing every down as an outside linebacker.

The book on Cody, who weighed in at 370 pounds, was even worse. Cody hasn't been a factor rushing the passer and has had trouble splitting double teams. Because of his consistent lack of effort and his weight, the Scouts Inc. crew says teams might be hesitant to use even a second-round pick on him.

I'm not the least bit surprised that Ole Miss' Dexter McCluster has been impressive in the first two days of practice at the Senior Bowl. The guy is absolutely fearless and has the kind of game-breaking speed the pro scouts love.

Remember, McCluster feasted on SEC defenses the second half of the season and took a lot of hits along the way.

McCluster and Florida receiver Riley Cooper were two of the guys singled out by the Scouts Inc. crew for having good days on Tuesday .

McCluster is an explosive playmaker no matter where you put him, and his speed makes up for his lack of size (5-foot-8, 165 pounds). He's also caught the ball well in Mobile.

Cooper, who's decided to concentrate on football and turned down the Rangers' baseball offer, has been impressive with his route-running, his ability to gain separation, and he also made a one-handed catch over his shoulder that had everybody talking.

One former SEC player who didn't receive high marks from the Scouts Inc. crew on Tuesday was Kentucky cornerback Trevard Lindley, who's been stiff in his hips and hasn't shown top-end speed or great athleticism. The Scouts Inc. crew thinks he may drop into the later rounds.

Another former SEC player who needs a good week is Alabama nose guard Terrence Cody, who weighed in at 370 pounds. Cody has to improve his endurance and demonstrate that he can make it through most of a game.

Now we’ll take a look at this season’s All-SEC defensive players and where they were ranked coming into the league.

South Carolina’s Eric Norwood, a three-time All-SEC selection, had 78 players ranked ahead of him in the state of Georgia alone in 2006.

And in the 2007 class, Florida defensive end Carlos Dunlap wasn’t the top-ranked player in South Carolina. Notre Dame’s Gary Gray and South Carolina’s Brian Maddox were both ranked ahead of Dunlap.

Antonio Coleman and Dan Williams were part of the class of 2005, so there’s no data available from Scouts Inc. for them. Terrence Cody was a junior college player when he signed with Alabama:

Antonio Coleman, DE, Auburn

Class: 2005

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: N/A

Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida

Class: 2007

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade 84, No. 2 defensive end, No. 3 player in South Carolina, No. 15 player nationally

Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama

Class: 2008

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: N/A

Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee

Class: 2005

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: N/A

Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama

Class: 2007

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade of 79, No. 5 inside linebacker, No. 8 player in Alabama, unranked nationally

Eric Norwood, LB, South Carolina

Class: 2006

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade of 69, No. 99 defensive end, No. 79 player in Georgia, unranked nationally

Rennie Curran, LB, Georgia

Class: 2007

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade of 79, No. 8 inside linebacker, No. 17 player in Georgia, unranked nationally

Joe Haden, CB, Florida

Class: 2007

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade of 79, No. 18 safety, No. 3 player in Maryland, unranked nationally

Javier Arenas, CB, Alabama

Class: 2006

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade of 77, No. 31 cornerback, No. 52 player in Florida, unranked nationally

Eric Berry, S, Tennessee

Class: 2007

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade of 90, No. 1 cornerback, No. 1 player in Georgia, No. 4 player nationally

Mark Barron, S, Alabama

Class: 2008

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade of 80, No. 19 athlete, No. 12 player in Alabama, unranked nationally