Alabama 2011 Football Recruiting: What Impact Will Jesse Williams Have?

Alabama is known as a pro-style college football program, run by a coach that derives many of his schemes from the NFL.

The Crimson Tide operate a power, run-first type of offense that, just like the NFL, uses a two-back attack and bases its passing game off play action.

Their defensive scheme is a base, 30 front, 3-4 defense that is run by almost half of the NFL. With the 3-4, the key cog in the defense is having a great nose tackle. Many nose tackles are not stars, but ask any coach that runs a 3-4 defense, and he'll tell you this is the key spot, not the rush linebackers.

Terrence Cody was the last "star" nose tackle for Alabama, and he is now with the Baltimore Ravens. In this 2011 recruiting class, Alabama signed Jesse Williams, a 6'4", 330-pound monster defensive line prospect that will get his first crack at nose tackle.

Williams has the length, strength at the point, anchor and shed ability to factor at nose or even defensive end in the Tide base 30 front defensive set. He is regarded as the No.1 overall player and prospect coming from the JC ranks.

He hails from Australia and has only been playing football since he was 15, starting to learn the game by playing for some local club teams down under. He made the trek all the way from Australia to Arizona Community College, where he developed into the top JC recruit in the country his sophomore year.

He is already enrolled at Alabama, having been on campus since January, and is ready to get spring drills under way. Saban has stated that this past recruiting cycle, the Crimson Tide wanted to get a bit quicker and more athletic up front by adding a pocket-pushing, zero-technique-type nose tackle.

Williams could not fit this bill any better. As he is 330 pounds, Williams is a wide-based, huge-chested specimen but has the snap quickness and athleticism to become a rare playmaking nose tackle. He won't be just asked to be a space eater as much as Cody was, and Williams is a bit more of a playmaker.

He gives the Tide a potential force to menace opposing SEC centers and interior offensive line units. Williams' presence will surely free up the two flanking ends to his side, which thus will definitely free up the two outside rush end/linebackers in the Tide's 3-4 scheme.

He will need time to adjust and get used to not only his surroundings from going from Australia to Arizona to now Tuscaloosa, but also the nose tackle position. Williams was a 4-3 defensive tackle at ACC and was usually charged with manning only one gap. At Alabama, he will need to learn the nuances to two-gap and hold up in the defensive scheme.

Not to worry, as Williams' brute strength, quickness to jump on top of blockers at the snap, upper body strength, anchor strength, shed ability and range will allow him to seamlessly fit and transition into the defense.

Williams also is a great pass rusher, as he can certainly push the pocket. He flashes a great ability to convert speed to power from the interior and obviously has the strength to just walk a blocker back into the passer.

He's a big man with little-man-like athletic ability and has quickness to close and finish on quarterbacks and ball carriers.

If you're an Alabama fan, sure you are excited about Dee Hart, HaHa Clinton-Dix, Cyrus Kouandjio, Marvin Shinn, Xzavier Dickson and Brent Calloway, and you should be.

But Williams may have the biggest and most immediate impact of any player signed by Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2011 recruiting class.