When you start to make your way down the list of all-time great Alabama running backs, it is just a matter of time until the legend [autotag]Shaun Alexander[/autotag] comes up. During three seasons of varsity football in high school, Alexander rushed for 6,657 yards and 110 touchdowns – both are still Top 10 all-time prep records. In his senior year, he was named Kentucky’s “Mr. Football” and was recruited to join the Tide by Gene Stallings and was one of the most highly sought-after recruits at the time.
Alexander redshirted in 1995 as a true freshman, however, he quickly burst onto the scene in 1996 as a redshirt freshman. Alexander put his name on the map in a crucial SEC showdown as he rushed for a school-record 291 yards and four touchdowns in a 26-0 victory over No. 11 LSU in Baton Rouge. Alexander posted career statistics of 727 carries for 3,565 yards and 41 touchdowns. He also had 62 career receptions for 798 yards and eight scores.
As a result of his success in college, the Seattle Seahawks used the No. 19 pick in the 2000 NFL Draft on the ‘Bama back. Alexander went on to be an NFL MVP and named to the 2000s All-Decade team among a laundry list of accolades.
As a result for the impact he left on the college game, the College Football Freshman Player of the Year award was renamed after Shaun Alexander in 2019 because of his remarkable freshman campaign and performance against LSU back in 1996.
This year, the winner of the award was Alabama DB [autotag]Caleb Downs[/autotag]. It is fitting for the award to head back to Tuscaloosa with Will Anderson being the winner back in 2020-2021. Even though he is only a freshman, people in the NFL have already taken notice of Downs and he is on a path to be the next great Alabama Safety like Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Congratulations to Caleb Downs, DB, University of Alabama! You are the 2023 Shaun Alexander Freshman Football Player of the Year. @caleb_downs2 joins an awesome family of award-winning athletes.
2018: @Trevorlawrencee
2019: @KENNETHGAINWEL
2020: @will_anderson28… pic.twitter.com/mOo9WoHKL2— Shaun Alexander (@shaunalexander) December 27, 2023
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