Alabama Football: 5 Players Who Surprised Us, 5 Who Need To Step Up

The regular season is over, but while the Crimson Tide have made it to the national championship, there are still kinks to work out in this well-oiled machine.  

Most of the players on the Tide's roster have played as expected.  Others have drifted just shy of expectations and a few have come out of nowhere, making us say, "Who is THAT guy?"

Here are five players who have blindsided us with their outstanding play, and five players who really need to step up for the home run.  

Surprise: Vinnie Sunseri, Freshman, Free Safety, 6'1", 217 Lbs

Vinnie Sunseri has gone from a 3-star linebacker and a third-string Tide safety (as well as a person who some speculated was brought to the team as a "favor" to his father, Tide linebacker coach Sal Sunseri) to a regular in the safety rotation for the Crimson Tide.

He made a name for himself on special teams with spectacular blocks and brutal tackles.  On the depth chart, he was Will Lowery's backup, who was Mark Barron's backup.  

Lowery went down against Georgia Southern with a torn ACL.  Then, Mark Barron was injured in the Iron Bowl that kept him out most of the game.  Vinnie Sunseri was in, and boy did he bring the heat to the Tigers.  He had  six tackles, four solo.  

He has 30 tackles on the year, 18 of them solo.  Not bad for a guy that spent most of the year on special teams.  

His future is extremely bright, and he has a very strong chance of becoming a starter in 2012. As a statement of opinion, I am saying right now, he will be the starter.  He may lack the body of a "Nick Saban linebacker" and was moved to safety, but he's one hell of a football player.  

I may have to switch my avatar...

Step Up: Darius Hanks, Senior, Wide Receiver, 6'1", 185 Lbs

Darius Hanks missed the first two games of the season due to a redshirt rule regarding his one-game played as a freshman.  He seemed to be sorely missed.  When he returned, however, his production has been somewhat underwhelming.

He's a great receiver, and it's true that quarterback A.J. McCarron has missed him when he's wide open more than once.  

Still yet, his production has not quite compared to his 2010 and 2009 numbers when he was "competing" for catches between himself, Julio Jones and Marquis Maze.

He had 32 catches for 456 yards in 2010 but only 21 catches for 270 yards this year and is fourth on the team behind Maze, Richardson and tight end Brad Smelley.

He's been a reliable force for the Tide, but more was expected from a third-year starter.  The Tide will need a bit more out of him to beat LSU. 

Hanks' most underrated quality is his willingness to take the short slant routes where he's sure to get popped hard by a safety.  He takes the licks, hangs onto the ball like a champion and gets right back up. 

The linked video is one of my favorite plays in the Saban era but only because Hanks shows he's as tough as nails.  He'd make a great slot receiver in the NFL.  

In the words of the great Oliver Twist, "Please, sir, I want some more." 

Surprise: Nick Gentry, Defensive Tackle, Senior, 6'1", 284 Lbs

Nick Gentry has been nose guard Josh Chapman's No. 1 backup all year, mainly because Chapman is known to lack elite pass-rush abilities.  Gentry, however, is one heck of a pass-rusher and gets about the same amount of playing time as Chapman—the Tide's strongest player.

He has 3.5 sacks for the year, exceeded only by Courtney Upshaw.  Gentry has to rush the passer straight up the middle against squat centers and guards, and often commands double teams.  Upshaw often gets one-on-one blocking on the edge—and the quarterback's blindside—where it's much easier to get to the quarterback.

Gentry has made the absolute best of his final year at the Capstone and cemented his reputation as a great pass-rusher.

If the NFL doesn't see his potential as a scrappy pass-rusher in the late rounds or as a free agent, he has a bright future behind a clipboard. He's regarded by coaches and teammates as an X's and O's savant.

Gentry is, after all, a critical piece of the nation's No. 1 rush and pass defense. 

Step Up: Robert Lester, Junior, Strong Safety, 6'2", 210 Lbs

Robert Lester had a breakout year in his first season as a starter in 2010, tying for second in the nation with eight interceptions.  

This year, his production in turnovers has dropped significantly, tallying only two for the year.  He had numerous opportunities for more picks but couldn't hang on to the ball.  The Tide defense isn't on the field quite as much, and it's likely that quarterbacks are avoiding him like the plague.  

Many draft pundits had him pegged as a first-round pick in the 2012 NFL draft in the preseason, but he's totaled barely half the tackles that Mark Barron has.  

He has been an integral part of the Tide's No. 1-ranked pass defense, but we need to see some Honey Badger-esque plays out of Lester, and he's more than capable of delivering.  He's flown under the radar for much of the year.  

An interesting fact is that he's listed as a free safety and Barron the strong safety.  Nick Saban stated earlier in the year during a press conference that Barron has always been the free safety.  

I suppose that's a testament to how chameleon-like Saban's defense is when people can't tell who's the free safety.  

Surprise: DeMarcus Milliner, Sophomore, Cornerback, 6'1", 196 Lbs

DeMarcus Milliner had a rough freshman campaign. Due to the injuries of junior college transfer DeQuan Menzie, Milliner was forced to step in as a starter for much of 2010.  Subsequently, he was targeted by every quarterback the Tide faced and whiffed on more than one occasion with blown coverages.

In 2011, Milliner has fulfilled his expectations as a 5-star cornerback.  He leads the Tide in interceptions with three, but he's lightning in a bottle after the pick.  He has returned his three picks for 72 total yards and one touchdown.  

He's had a whopping nine passes broken up, the same quantity Dre Kirkpatrick has, but gets less field time than Dre.  He also has 26 total tackles, one more than Kirkpatrick, but Dre has 23 solo tackles to Milliner's 13.  

Strangely enough, when a cornerback gets a lot of solo tackles, that means he's probably getting beat in coverage more than he should.  

Step Up: Michael Williams, Junior, Tight End, 6'6", 270 Lbs

This is a picture of Tyrann Mathieu, the "Honey Badger," tackling Michael Williams by himself.  It's really more like planting him flat on his bum.  Mathieu weighs 175 lbs.

Williams also caught a delayed but spot-on pass on a trick play from Marquis Maze against LSU, only to have it wrestled from him by a 200-lb safety.  In a matter of pure opinion, his back hit the ground before the ball was taken and shouldn't have been an interception, but Williams should have left no doubt that he caught it.

Now, this isn't a knock on Williams, but a clear observation of his receiving abilities.  He's a phenomenal run blocker, but his size makes him quite valuable as a receiver, and he still has some work to do.  

Michael has been working hard all year on his catching abilities and route running and has come a long way.  He needs to match that dedication and step up in Round 2 with LSU. 

With the right amount of effort, Williams could be the Tide's deadliest threat in the red zone as a receiver.

Surprise: Brad Smelley, Senior, H-Back, 6'3", 230 Lbs

Smelley, a former high school quarterback, has replaced his predecessor Preston Dial as the Tide's H-back in glorious fashion. 

He had a season-high six catches for 86 yards in the Iron Bowl and led the Tide in receiving that day. He has become a favorite target of A.J. McCarron and is tied for second on the team in receptions with Trent Richardson with 27 catches and almost as many yards with 317.

Brad has been an afterthought for most of his career, but this year, he has joined Preston Dial, Colin Peek and Nick Walker as yet another great receiving tight end in the Saban era of the Tide.

Did I forget to mention that he leads the Tide in touchdown receptions with four?

Step Up: A.J. McCarron, Sophomore, Quarterback, 6'4", 205 Lbs

For a rookie quarterback in the SEC, A.J. McCarron has done a pretty darn good job, but he owes a lot of that success to Trent Richardson demanding a loaded box.  

He has completed almost 67 percent of his passes for 2,400 yards, 16 touchdowns and only five interceptions. In 2009,  his rookie season, Greg McElroy completed 61 percent of his passes for 2,508 yards in 14 games, 17 touchdowns and four interceptions.  

It should be pretty clear-cut who has done better, and McCarron didn't have the crippling midseason slump that McElroy had, though LSU did rough A.J. up a little.  

Though he has had a good season thus far, he's about to play for the national championship.  Greg McElroy was clutch as clutch can be in the SEC and national championship, and McCarron will really have to step up and do the same.  

A curious detail is that McCarron would have lost his redshirt in the 2009 national championship game had McElroy been injured (Greg was already playing with broken ribs).  Star Jackson was the second string quarterback at the time, but Saban made it clear that he would burn McCarron's redshirt in a heartbeat in the national title game.  

Surprise: Alfred McCullough, Senior, Offensive Guard/Tackle, 6'2", 311 Lbs

Alfred McCullough has been the Tide's backup "Barrett Jones," and by that, I mean the team's most versatile lineman.  He can play both guard and tackle and has done so quite well this year in relief duties. 

McCullough was in a battle with JuCo transfer and former Tennessee Vol, Aaron Douglas, in the spring for the starting left tackle position.  Douglas died tragically in Florida in a prescription drug incident, and after that, Barrett Jones was named the starting left tackle.  

McCullough could not win the starting left tackle position, and then he lost the battle for right guard to an incredibly strong sophomore, Anthony Steen.  He was stuck at second string.

Steen was hot and cold all year long, and Alfred McCullough earned the starting privileges late this season after he proved his worth filling in for Steen who had a concussion. 

Saban and the rest of the team have spoken very highly of McCullough, and though he was a late bloomer, he has become a critical part of the Tide's offensive line.  

Have you ever seen such a large yet compact paunch as McCullough's?

Step Up: Cade Foster, Sophomore, Kicker, 6'1", 216 Lbs

Cade Foster had a brutal day against LSU, missing three critical field goals.  They were long field goals, all around 50 yards, but one was not only too wide, but too short as well.  

Foster has also been—for lack of a better word—terrible on kickoffs—a duty he earned due to his "strong leg."  To earn that reputation, he had a kickoff average of 65 yards with 10 touchbacks in 2010 and was a tackling machine on returns with 9 total, 6 solo.  Not bad for only being involved only in kickoffs. He also was 7-of-9 on long field goals and 7-for-7 on extra points.

In 2011, he's averaging 63 yards on kickoffs with only five touchbacks.  Many of his kickoffs land between the 15 and 20-yard lines, and it's gotten pretty old hearing the announcers say, "It's a short kickoff."  He has made 2-of-9 field goals this year, all of them long, just like his 2010 attempts.  

I have been very harsh regarding Foster, despite the fact that he was my favorite player in 2010.  Of all the players on the team, he may have regressed the most.  

He will likely be replaced by newcomer and highly touted kicker Adam Griffith in 2012, but for the time being, he's the Tide's most powerful kicker.  

When the Tide faces LSU again, Foster will be need to get some serious touchbacks, as field position will likely be the most critical part of the ball game.  Letting the Tigers start drives on the 30 or 35-yard line after kickoffs—even just two or three times—in the game could be disastrous.  

Foster needs to step up and show us the Cade the Tide fans grew to love in 2010.  We know he can kick it long and hard, and he can hit the long field goal.  His freshman campaign proved it.  He just has to return to that great body of work.  

Points will be just as precious in Round 2 with LSU, and Foster may have to be Saban's trump card. He needs to step up.