Alabama Football: Top 10 Most Surprising Players This Season

Alabama has a lot of great stars in their 2011 lineup, but how many can be called surprises?  For the most part, the team is playing as expected.

Trent Richardson is streamrolling defenders en route to the Heisman Trophy, while Courtney Upshaw and Dont'a Hightower are fighting head to head for the Butkus.  

So who are the players that are raising eyebrows?  Who is making folks ask the question, "Who is that guy?"

Let's take a look.  

Ed Stinson, Redshirt Sophomore, Defensive End

Ed Stinson is not a new name, but he didn't make a name for himself in a good way to begin with.  

In Alabama's first loss of the 2010 season, against South Carolina, 'Bama faked a field goal with a short pass from A.J. McCarron to Ed Stinson on arguably the most crucial fourth down of the game.  Instead, Stinson dropped it.  

At the time he was a redshirt freshman defensive lineman, so can you really blame him for dropping a pass?

2011 has looked a lot different.

Stinson's stats wont make your eyes pop out, having garnered only seven tackles—all assisted—and a solo sack.  He does, however, have five tackles for losses, good for third on the team behind Dont'a Hightower and Courtney Upshaw.  

As a 3-4 defensive lineman, his job is more directed towards just plugging the holes and not giving up running lanes.  The linebackers make the tackles.

Ed has done a great job backing up Damion Square, and has used his light under-300-lb body to his advantage.  

Demarcus Milliner, Sophomore, Cornerback

Demarcus Milliner is a former 5-star prospect, and while it may be a bit of a stretch to call him a "surprise," he has certainly come a long way.  

Milliner was responsible for being caught with his pants down on numerous occasions in 2010 in busted coverages, giving up big plays.  Many folks were still uncertain of him coming into the year.  

He hasn't quite eliminated this, but he has come up big elsewhere.  He's deflected a respectable seven passes this year, and also leads the team with interceptions.  He has only two picks, but hey, the lead is the lead, right?

Demarcus Milliner is certainly beginning to play to his potential now.  

Nico Johnson, Junior, Linebacker

Nico Johnson has been a vital cog to the Crimson Tide machine since he began filling in for an injured Dont'a Hightower in the 2009 championship season.  

The past two seasons, however, his coverage skills were suspect and he shared time at middle linebacker with coverage linebacker extraordinaire C.J. Mosley.

After Mosley dislocated his elbow against Arkansas (tackling one of the biggest backs in the league, Ronnie Wingo Jr.), however, Johnson has been proving the critics wrong in the past three games.  

Nico's skills against the run were undisputed, and he has since supplemented that run-stuffing prowess with a fantastic showing of his pass defense.

He has two pass deflections and an interception.  He may not be the coverage man that Mosley is, but Nico Johnson sure is making quarterbacks think twice.  

A.J. McCarron, Redshirt Sophomore, Quarterback

A.J. McCarron was the clear-cut best backup in 2009, as Nick Saban said he would burn A.J.'s redshirt in a heartbeat during the 2009 national championship game, in lieu of the then-No. 2, Star Jackson.  

When highly touted quarterback Phillip Sims arrived on campus, that all changed.  A.J. and Phillip were engaged in very close battle, with what seemed to be a situation that split the fans in two.  Half predicted A.J., the other half Phillip.  

When A.J. was named the starter, he promptly threw two interceptions against lowly Kent State in the 2011 season opener (one of which was clearly not his fault, but a pick is a pick).  

Since then, he threw only one interception in the next seven games, completing 67 percent of his passes with just under 1,700 yards.  

A.J. is good, but who can honestly say they thought he'd be this efficient prior to the season?  

Jalston Fowler, Sophomore, Running Back

Believe it or not, Jalston Fowler was listed as a fullback on recruiting boards prior to his commitment to the Crimson Tide.  But he wouldn't be the first fullback to make that change, would he?  Does Peyton Hillis ring a bell?

At nearly 250 lbs, some would think Fowler is just too bulky and unwieldy to carry the rock.  Well, he's been averaging seven yards per carry and had a career-high 125 yards against Ole Miss.  

He also proved that he has just enough top-end speed to break away for a touchdown.  

Some would say Jalston's production isn't a surprise, as he showed a bit of his ability last year.

Only at Alabama will you find a third-string running back run for over 100 yards.  

DeAndrew White, Redshirt Freshman, Wide Receiver

DeAndrew White had a lot of hype built up around him during the fall practice, but with the hush-hush practices Nick Saban conducted, no one knew what to expect.  

He has emerged as one of the craziest playmakers on the team, highlighted in this photo in a game against Vanderbilt.  A.J. McCarron made this ill-advised—yet successful—pass into the end zone, and White miraculously jumped about nine or 10 feet into the air to come down with the ball.  

He's got the talent, but like Darius Hanks recently said, the receiver corps wasn't getting a lot of respect prior to the season.  It was just him and Marquis Maze that were mentioned.  Hanks made it clear, however, that there were some big surprises coming from receivers not named Hanks or Maze.

DeAndrew White is just one of many...

Kenny Bell, Redshirt Sophomore, Wide Receiver

Kenny Bell took a bit longer than DeAndrew White to get the heads talking, but he's made a big splash nonetheless.  

Bell has actually been more productive than White, though he only has one touchdown as opposed to White's two.

Bell is fourth on the team in receptions and yards, led only by Marquis Maze, Darius Hanks and Trent Richardson (who gets most of his yards after the catch).  He has 167 receiver yards, averaging 12.85, which is actually the highest of the top five Tide receivers.

Kenny Bell is regarded as possibly the fastest currently active receiver on the team, and he sure has been a pleasant surprise.  

Barrett Jones, Redshirt Junior, Left Tackle

Some may scoff at calling Barrett Jones a surprise, but looking back at the spring game, who expected Jones to be not just a starting left tackle in the SEC, but a very good one?  

The talk of the town was that Nick Saban was merely "experimenting" with Jones at left tackle during the spring game, that it wasn't expected that he would stay there. 

Well, he is still the starting left tackle, and he has been manhandling would-be pass-rushers all season.  He's a big part of the reason Alabama has only allowed 12 sacks this year, most of those coming through the middle of the offensive line.  

Nick Gentry, Redshirt Senior, Defensive Tackle

Nick Gentry is one of those guys that spent four years at this program only to enter his fifth year as an afterthought in the minds of fans.  As a 6'1", 284-lb nose tackle, it can be pretty hard to make a case.  

Well, halfway into his fifth and final year, Nick Gentry is really making a name for himself. 

He is playing about as much as the starting nose tackle, Josh Chapman.  Chapman plays the run and Gentry comes in to rush the passer.  

He's done a pretty dang good job at it, too.  He is tied for fourth on the team with 3.5 tackles for losses, and second on the team with 2.5 sacks.  Even more surprising is that he is trailing only Dont'a Hightower and Courtney Upshaw with three quarterback hurries.  

Gentry has proven his worth to the Tide as a quality pass-rusher.  He isn't hard to spot on the line.  He's the short guy wearing red, and never wears gloves or fancy arm bands.  

Vinnie Sunseri, True Freshman, Safety

Vinnie Sunseri played linebacker in high school, and is the son of Alabama's linebacker coach, Sal Sunseri.  

He was offered a scholarship, and though he seemed to have potential, some still wondered whether he earned the scholarship or was just given one as a favor to his father.

Well, that argument has proven silly.  Vinnie is a real football player.  A really good one.  

After making splash after splash on special teams, with both brutal tackles and Superman blocks, Vinnie seems to be well on his way to making it into the regular rotation.  

Vinnie is currently tied for fourth on the team with a whopping 23 total tackles, most of which came on return coverage.  

Vinnie Sunseri very well may be the starter of the future, and he is currently outshining his 5-star safety classmate, Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix.  

Vinnie is far and away the biggest surprise for the Tide this season.  Who would have thought a true freshman 3-star (who likely only got three stars because Nick Saban recruited him) prospect would blossom this early?

Well, those who saw his stats from his 2009 high school season expected it: 109 tackles, 15 for losses, five interceptions and three forced fumbles.  

Vinnie Sunseri has thrown those petty stars out the window, and is clearly focusing on being yet another Crimson Tide terror on the field.