Why Alabama Redshirt Freshman DB Marlon Humphrey Will Set SEC on Fire in 2015

While Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany spins his wheels with the preposterous idea of reinstituting freshman ineligibility, the college football version of endangered species are preparing for their first seasons in competitive college football.

Redshirt freshmen used to litter rosters across the Southeast, but as more and more true freshman phenoms find the field across the SEC, redshirt freshmen are going the way of the dodo bird.

If you're looking for a redshirt freshman in the SEC who's going to explode onto the scene in 2015, look no further than Alabama defensive back Marlon Humphrey.

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The son of former Alabama running back Bobby Humphrey, Marlon Humphrey signed with the Crimson Tide in the class of 2014 as part of a dynamic defensive back duo with fellow 5-star prospect Tony Brown.

At 6'1", 186 pounds, Humphrey is a taller defensive back who can go one-on-one with bigger wide receivers and bump them off routes at the line of scrimmage. He's got tremendous recovery and ball skills, is good in coverage and has everything it takes to be a star—including the speed of a track star.

Humphrey is spending his offseason on the Crimson Tide track team, where he's busy setting records in the 4X400-meter relay, according to Drew Champlin of AL.com.

"He was already so much faster than everybody else in high school so he was able to transition pretty smoothly," assistant track coach Matt Kane told Champlin. "He looks like a man as opposed to a college freshman, but he's not too bulky. People worry about that, but he's really got good football weight and everything."

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Everything.

As in, everything he needs to be a superstar.

The former Hoover (Alabama) High School standout was brought to Tuscaloosa to be an instant impact defender but instead had to adjust to working with the scout team. According to Michael Casagrande of AL.com, Humphrey did fine with that transition.

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"It wasn't too hard," Humphrey said. "Once you get over the fact, it's not too bad."

That hard work might pay off in a hurry, because aside from Cyrus Jones occupying one cornerback spot, the rest of the defensive rotation at corner is wide open. Eddie Jackson and Bradley Sylve were inconsistent last year, Tony Brown was relegated to a reserve role, and the Tide finished the year ranked 11th in the SEC in pass defense (226.0 yards per game) and opponent passing plays of 20 or more yards (43).

Inconsistency against the pass has been a problem that's lingered for two years in Tuscaloosa, and Mel Tucker was brought in to coach defensive backs in an effort to fix it.

That means a clean slate for everybody, which is huge news for Humphrey.

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Jones' improvement from Game 1 through Game 14 last year was an indicator that the light bulb went off in his head. So, barring any unforeseen injuries or problems, it's safe to assume that he's going to build off of that in the offseason.

For everybody else, the race is wide open.

Since nickel packages have evolved into more of the base defense in college football, that means there's even more of a chance for Humphrey to earn playing time and become a star.

Humphrey has the talent, is at a school that needs help and has the opportunity to shine thanks to a new position coach.

That's a recipe for redshirt success.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.