Spotlight Alabama Linebacker: Dont'a Zeus Hightower

From a defensive lineman standpoint, LB Dont'a Hightower can do it all. At 6'4" and 260 lbs, he is solid muscle and more explosive than a Bengal tiger. He searches the offensive line for a weakness and peers into the backfield like a golden eagle ready to pick up his prey.

Helmet on or not, he will make the tackle. He is nimble, quick, agile, and not fragile. The devastating injury suffered last year against the Razorbacks has only made him more determined and more committed to strength and conditioning.

Simply put: D. Zeus Hightower is a beast waiting to be unleashed.

Dont'a Zeus Hightower will be taking over the duties from one of the best middle linebackers that has ever played the position at Alabama. The defense will not miss a beat. He will captain a front seven and secondary with a little less experience than in years past, but his leadership will take them to an entirely different level of play.

After two full years in Nick Saban's system, Hightower knows what to expect from his coach and knows what his coach expects from his players. D. Zeus will make demands on the field of play and his teammates will respond as if the commands are shouted down from the peak of Mt. Olympus.

Hightower attended Marshall County High School in Lewisberg, Tennessee. As a sophomore, he was called into action when the star running back quit the team. Dont'a stepped into the backfield for the last four games of the season and rushed for over 1,000 yards and scored seven touchdowns.

Between his sophomore and junior year, Hightower grew too tall for the running back position and was moved to the tight end and linebacker positions. At as TE, he reeled in 18 catches for 253 yards and scored four touchdowns. From the defensive position, he made 98 tackles, two sacks, and forced seven fumbles during the season.

As a senior, Hightower continued to excel. He also continued to grow. Peaking at 6'4", he shifted positions on defense from linebacker to defensive end. In the process, he collected 168 tackles, cradled five interceptions, forced five fumbles, and had four fumble recoveries.

In addition, from the offensive tight end position, he gained 875 yards and scored 19 touchdowns.

In 2007, he became the 3A Mr. Football Lineman of the Year and was named the Tennesseean's Defensive Most Valuable Player.

As a true freshman, Hightower started in 12 games and played in all 14 contests in 2008. He became one of only 11 true freshman since 1972 to start in the season opener. He finished the season as a First-team Freshman All-American.

In that season, Hightower played the weak-side linebacker (Will) and recorded 62 tackles. Four of those tackles were for losses. He also forced one fumble and had two fumble recoveries.

As a sophomore, in only 3 1/4 games, Hightower recorded 16 tackles; four TFL. Playing time came to an abrupt halt in the first quarter of the Arkansas game on a legal cut block by an offensive lineman.

Following the injury, Hightower underwent surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament, and medial meniscus. It's called the unhappy triad for a reason.

Many athletes never recover from the devastating blowout of the entire medial support structure of the lower extremity hinge joint.

But Hightower got right back to work after the surgeon performed the needed reconstruction. He was joined in short order by defensive end Damien Square.

Square injured his ACL in the following game against FIU. Together, they committed to holding each other accountable during rehabilitation.

Both were on the practice field in the spring and participated in full contact drills during practice and were back on the field for the spring game. In one memorable moment during the A-Day game, 320 pounder DJ Fluker made an unfortunate mistake with his footwork while challenging Hightower on a block.

With what seemed like a brush of the hand, Fluker went flailing to the turf, sliding backward for about seven yards. McCarron thought better of trying to make a play while in the sights of No. 30.

Yes indeed, Hightower is back. He may not feel entirely 100 percent, but from what others see, he is probably already 110 percent recovered. And with that, he will be on many of the watch lists such as the Butkus, the Bednarik, and the Lombardi Awards for the 2010 season.