Alabama Crimson Tide Football Spring Review: Front Seven

Alabama's front seven a year ago was a mixed bag of hope and recruiting rankings.

As the season progressed, the defensive line became an outright liability, and the linebacker corps was in disarray.

Spring marks a chance to start over, when we can see who made progress and what still needs to be done.

First, the good news, or bad, depending on who you are.

The Alabama linebacker corps is no longer confused.

Alabama's A-Day game showcased no less than eight capable SEC starting linebackers. It's almost an embarrassing display of talent.

To begin with, Alabama has two possible first or second round NFL picks in Dont'a Hightower and Courtney Upshaw.  

Upshaw continues to show what manner of havoc he can reap from his Jack Linebacker spot when healthy.

He played well all of 2010 with a bad ankle and is hoping to put on a major show in 2011 to secure his position in the NFL. Upshaw is 265 pounds, has speed and can get to the passer—and do some damage when he gets there.

At times, he has proven to be unblockable.

Hightower struggled learning a new position last season while recovering from major knee reconstruction. He looked sluggish and indecisive. Late in the year he seemed to improve.  

At Alabama's A-Day, he showed no residual effects from the bad knee and was confidently barking calls on and off the field.

This is Hightower's defense. He knows it. He runs it. Leadership is now a roll he is comfortable with.

Hightower will be listed as the starting Mike linebacker, but this year's defense will bear little resemblance to last season's. A healthy Hightower will be moved all over the field as we saw on A-Day when he rushed from the defensive end spot.  

Part of the reason they can do this is the rapid development of CJ Mosley. Mosley racked up 80 tackles and two interceptions as a true freshman while splitting time with Nico Johnson. Mosley did all that without the benefit of the offseason training afforded to Alabama athletes.

At A-Day, Mosley was equally as active and looked more physical. It seems any chance of a sophomore slump is out of the question.

Johnson is still around and has put on even more bulk to 245 pounds. He appears to remain a co-starter with Mosley. Both will get plenty of snaps in 2010 and will play alongside each other when Hightower is moved to the edge.  

Jarrell Harris finally has the look of a starter. He's always had potential but never put it together. At times last season, he broke through blocks and whiffed some tackles entirely.

That version of Harris appears to have left the building.

In fact, Harris was the only player to stump veteran lineman Barrett Jones for a sack. It may have taken Harris a while to get there, but he has the potential to be a menacing force on the edge rushing the passer.

As if Alabama didn't have enough guys in the middle, they still has Chris Jordan. The senior has also bulked up to over 240 pounds and showed no mercy at A-Day and was one of the leading tacklers. Jordan showed no ill effects from the injury that sidelined him for much of 2010.

Freshman Trey DePriest should be trying on a tux for his high school prom. Instead, he's out there banging heads with veteran SEC players—and amazingly holding his own.

The 6'2", 245-pound Ohio native has the look of the next Mosley, and it seems unlikely he will redshirt. Though Alabama has much depth at linebacker, four major contributors will depart at the end of the season, so DePriest can be a starter by this time next year.

Redshirt freshman Adrian Hubbard filled the second string Jack spot after senior Alex Watkins went down with a knee injury.

He did not waste the opportunity.

Hubbard looks a bit like a mad stork coming at you with his towering 6'7" frame that hides his 255 pounds. 

He may look skinny, but I saw him attempt several bull rushes, and he did better than I would have expected. With his wingspan and athletic ability, he has the potential to be a player reminiscent of former Alabama All-American defensive end Eric Curry. Those are big shoes to fill however. 

Not only does Alabama have more options at linebacker, the unit as a whole is much more settled. Barring injury, defensive coordinator Kirby Smart will be able to rotate an unprecedented number of players to keep them fresh into the fourth quarter.

Alabama can also mix and match its linebackers depending on what type of offense they are facing. It's an almost unprecedented amount of luxury. 

The story up front is not quite so well. Of all the units that struggled last year, the defensive line still remains a concern.

First off, Alabama lost two potential starters before spring even began.

Kerry Murphy has an ongoing knee problem that is threatening to end his career. Brandon Moore was suspended from the team with no information on the time or possibility of a return. Even with the return of either, they would have missed invaluable work this spring. The pair constitute two of only five true big men on the defensive line.

Many expected newcomer Australian Jessie Williams to overtake senior Josh Chapman for the starting nose, but Chapman redoubled his efforts in the weight room and had a great spring.

Chapman won't be a threat to rush the passer but appears to be set to have his best season holding the nose.  

Williams had knee surgery prior to spring, and between that and his unfamiliarity with Alabama's system, he was not overly effective. He's a strong kid with a lot of drive, so these problems are correctable and should provide quality depth to give Chapman a rest.

Scrappy senior Nick Gentry continues to be a pain in the neck to any offense and got another sack after chasing down quarterback AJ McCarron on the sideline—of all places.  Gentry won't threaten to start, but every time he gets in there, he's very active.

Alabama still has another nose man in Brandon Ivory. Ivory was a longer term project who appears to be making good progress toward some playing time. He's likely still a year away from the two-deep rotation.

Damion Square is beginning his second season as starter and looked sharper on the pass rush. He improved late last year and appears ready for a breakout season. Like Hightower, his reconstructed knee has taken two years to truly heal.

The third starter is still up in the air, but as of right now, it appears to be converted linebacker Ed Stinson. Stinson put on some major weight this past year and has the look of a big-time rush defensive end. He still has a ways to go—and there in lies the problem—he won the job with a ways to go.

Backup defensive ends Undra Billingsley, Darrington Sentimore, Brandon Lewis and newcomer Quinton Dial were not able to take his spot.  

Dial is new to the program and is still trying to figure out the defense. If he can get that down mentally, he can make a strong push this fall to get the starting job.

All of the defensive ends looked to have improved but not enough to solve Alabama's pass-rushing problems from last season.

As a result, Nick Saban stated post A-Day that Alabama is making plans to use linebackers to get pressure on quarterbacks because they don't know if the line is going to get it done.

The problem of creating a dominant defensive line continues to befuddle those fans who remember how ridiculously dominant the lines at LSU were when Saban was their coach. It could have just been a good run of luck with recruits.  

Alabama has furiously recruited defensive ends for several years now, and with the exception of Marcel Dareus, have not hit pay dirt.

There is still time to get it fixed.

A few years ago, Lorenzo Washington came out of nowhere to have a good spring. Most felt it was a fluke, but that fall, he went from good to pretty darn good and won the starting job. His solid play was a key component of the national championship defense.  

Saban said this team surprised him with being a little better than he expected. Though this is a great compliment from a man who rarely gives great compliments, he followed that up with the fact that all that does is give them a chance to get better over the summer.

Overall, A-Day demonstrated Alabama will have an improved front seven this year. Just how much better they will be depends on the production of the defensive line.