Alabama Football: The Rolando McClain Effect on Tide Juniors Considering Leaving

Larry Burton (Syndicated Writer) Rolando McClain may have been a force on the defensive side of the ball, but he was someone every player respected regardless of position. His leadership and decision-making left a lasting impact on the Alabama football team.

When his time came came as a junior to stay or leave for the NFL, he considered all aspects of his decision and talked with the players so they could not only understand and accept his decision, but his thought process as well.

In an interview with me, Rolando shared what the keys to his decision were.

1. Will his leaving hurt the team? Not really. In his mind, his team was not only full of great prospects, but a player he loved and respected like a brother, Dont'a Hightower. He felt there were players who could fill his shoes and have the team keep right on going.

2. He respected what the coaches, especially Saban, told him. Saban had told McClain to follow his heart, to make his own decision based on what would be best for him, because he was a sure first-round draft choice. He said Saban tells players unless you're a sure first-round pick, you should stay. He was one of those players.

3. Did he have any unfinished business? In his case, no. Because of the first two reasons, he was ready to move on and face new challenges.

This is the legacy he imprinted on the players now considering those decisions for themselves.

Let's look at players in question, use that reasoning and inject what I learned by interviewing players this past weekend at the Capital One Bowl.

Mark Ingram

 Of course you can't replace a Heisman Trophy winner, but will it really hurt the team? Mark feels that Richardson and Lacy have the potential to carry on the same pace that he and Richardson had.

Plus, he loves Trent like a brother and is ready to step aside and give Trent "top billing" next season. Like Rolando, he feels there's someone very capable of filling his shoes.

He is now projected as a first-round pick and that fits rule two.

Unfinished business? No, not with a Heisman and a championship ring.

Plus, when I interviewed him, he was not saying he would be back. Factor in that when I said to Trent that next year would his year to carry the load, and asked if he was ready, Trent smiled and said, "I'll miss Mark, he's been like a brother to me, but I'm ready."

That certainly sounded like a man who knew what his best friend had decided and had already come to accept it.

Projection: Goodbye and good luck, Mark, and thanks for everything.

Julio Jones

Yes, of course, losing Julio would leave a hole in the lineup not easily filled by anyone at first glance. Yes, Alabama has playmakers at that position, but not a Julio Jones.

He is, though, considered by most a sure first-round choice in the draft.

And lastly, any unfinished business? Yes, according to Julio, who feels he never had a whole season that really showed what he was capable of. You can tell that bothers him.

Interviewing Julio, you could tell it upset him to have so many reporters ask him about leaving. He honestly looked and sounded like a man who had not made a final decision at that time.

Projection: I think he's leaning on leaving, but it pains him greatly and he's still considering things.

Mark Barron

 With Robbie Green coming back, he certainly has someone to fill his shoes. But that would leave a hole at the other safety spot that really never got settled this last year.

With his injury and lack of potential to dazzle at the combines, his stock has dropped and he's a third-round pick at best in my opinion because of it.

Unfinished business? Yes, a ton of it. The secondary that he was the leader of was the Achilles heel of the Alabama team this year that cost them their three losses, for the most part.

He would love to leave with that group on top and be the reason for its success. With Green returning and others now having valuable experience, that could happen.

Projection: Barron wants to leave, but knows he's better off staying. And stay he will.

Marcell Dareus

Dareus has people who can fill his shoes and may actually improve on his numbers, which weren't as good as many thought they could have and should have been this year.

Personally, I think Dareus is a second-rounder at best, but then I'm no expert in the NFL draft.

He really does have a lot of unfinished business. His play this season never lived up to his wildly newsworthy play in the national championship game.

Projection: Goodbye and good luck, Marcell, thanks for everything you did for us.

Dont'a Hightower

A late-season move to take him out of Rolando's old position and put him back in the position he played when McClain was there proved to help hide the fact that since the injury, Hightower's lack of speed prevented him from taking over where McClain left off.

In a run-stopping role, Hightower proved that's where he belonged, and not covering receivers out of the backfield. There is talent to take his place.

I don't see Hightower as a first-round pick, but a late second-round or early third-round pick.

The linebacker corps, which Hightower led, was a strength of the team and not a weakness, so there is little unfinished business that will be gnawing at Hightower should he leave.

Projection: Goodbye, Dont'a, and best of luck in the NFL. Thanks for your leadership and all you did.

Marquis Maze

 It wasn't until late in the year that Marquis began to make noise about perhaps leaving early. For many Alabama fans, it came as a shock.

It's not that Maze isn't a great receiver, it's just that he's always been in Julio's shadow. Would his leaving leave a huge hole in the team? As valuable as he is, by numbers alone, the answer is no.

First-round pick? I don't know any NFL draft expert who would go there. Fourth round? That sounds much closer to what I'm thinking.

But in talking to him, he feels he's ready to leave, even though he hasn't said that. The coaching staff is trying to talk him out of it, and I don't know how much he will listen to them.

Should he announce early his intentions to leave, it may actually make Julio want to stay or vice versa. For just some nagging unknown reason, I don't see both staying or both leaving.

Projection: It's a 50/50 proposition depending on an awful lot of factors.

One thing that is for sure, the win against the co-champion of the Big Ten Conference in such a butt-whipping fashion shows that this team will be one to contend for a national title next year, no matter who chooses what.