The 2010 Replacements for Alabama's Departing Football Players, Chapter Nine

The last in the series of 2009 defensive players to be replaced is Javier Arenas. Javvy was the special guy in the backfield who could cover, blitz, and be a threat to intercept one and take it to the house. You will also find out who may even fill his role as a kick and punt returner.

So who steps up to take his place?

Right now coaches have their eyes on junior B.J. Scott, a 5'11", 188-pounder from Prichard, Alabama. Coming out of high school, Scott was listed as the No. 1 athlete and the No. 19 prospect in the nation according to the ESPN.com 150 rankings. He was also the No. 3 defensive back in the nation and the second-ranked player in the Alabama Top 35 according to Rivals.com.

If you go by pedigrees and rankings, he's light years ahead of where Arenas was at this same time.

Scott played many positions in high school, and in fact, you may remember him from his freshman year at Tuscaloosa when he was used as a backup receiver. He was one of 16 true freshmen to see the field. He played in nine games, recording two catches.

In 2009 he was moved to defense to prepare for this year. He's had a lot of work and has been outstanding in many practices. Now it's time for him to step up in game time. He has great speed and seems to have an extra closing burst when he needs it.

Some say it hurt him spending a year as a receiver, but Scott thinks it helped him understand what he's guarding against better than before. I think he'll do just fine.

Possible backups could be John Fulton, who was discussed in chapter eight of this series, as well as Deion Belue, a 6'0", 175 pound true freshman. It would be fitting for him to play in Arenas' old spot, as there are many similarities between the two.

Like Arenas, Belue was not that wanted or noticed by other schools until Saban offered him. After Saban's offer, every school stood up and took notice of him. His ranking shot up almost as soon as it was known that Nick Saban saw something in him he really liked.

Belue, like Arenas, may become known to Tide fans first of all as a kick and punt returner. He has sensational speed, some say under 4.3 in the 40, and moves that may get him some playing time early in that special teams role.

He has playmaker written all over him. With an experienced junior and some superbly talented freshmen, this position is well covered.

If you liked this article, chapters 1-3 cover replacing defensive linemen, chapters 4-6 cover the linebackers, and chapters 7-9 cover the defensive backs. You can find those articles in my archive.