Tag: Jihaad Campbell

5 second-year defensive players who could break out in 2023

Roll Tide Wire lists five second-year defensive players who could potentially break out in 2023 college football season!

We are just a little more than 100 days away from Nick Saban and the Alabama football team kicking the 2023 season off on Sept. 2 against Middle Tennessee State inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Even though the offseason can seem long and insufferable, is there really ever an offseason with all the outlets that produce non-stop content on the Crimson Tide? That’s why you can count on Roll Tide Wire to be there every step of the way.

Fans are always searching for the next guy on the team to step up and become a household name. Today we look at five second-year defensive players who could break out in the 2023 season.

Post-spring depth chart projections for Alabama’s inside linebackers

Projecting Alabama football’s inside linebacker depth chart post-spring!

Now that spring football has officially wrapped up and the 2023 NFL draft is complete, it is time to shift our focus to the offseason.

Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide have a ton of questions marks exiting spring and fans are chomping at the bit for answers.

So as we dive into the dog days of summer, I thought we could take a look, position by position, and project the possible depth chart for the 2023 Alabama football team post-spring.

We have already taken a look at the quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive line, defensive line, and outside linebackers. As we quickly move along the defensive side, let’s take a look at the inside linebackers.

Position Breakdown: Alabama’s ILB’s ahead of spring practice

A deep dive into the Alabama inside linebacker room ahead of spring practice.

We are now just a couple of weeks out from [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the Alabama football team taking the practice field to begin spring ball.

As is the case each offseason, there are many questions that need to be answered before the Tide hit the field to start the 2023 season.

As spring practice creeps closer, we are going to break down each position group on both sides of the ball. We have already looked at the quarterbacks, running backs, defensive line, tight ends, and outside linebackers.

Today we will direct our attention to the inside linebacker room which will be replacing a ton of experience here in 2023.

Let’s dive right in!

Five second-year players Alabama fans should watch this spring

There are several second-year players who could generate some buzz this spring!

As February ends, spring football approaches. In just a couple of weeks, [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the Alabama football team will return to the practice field and begin on-field work for the 2023 season.

Alabama will have to replace significant pieces from last year’s squad, most notably quarterback Bryce Young and outside linebacker Will Anderson.

Each spring, Tide fans get a glimpse of what the future holds for the Alabama football team, and I expect some second-year players to step up and generate some buzz heading into the 2023 season.

Today we are look at five second-year players I believe could make some noise this spring.

To clarify, this is a list of players who did not have much of an impact as true freshmen in 2022. So players such as Tyler Booker, Isaiah Bond and Kobe Prentice will not be a part of this group.

Let’s dive right in!

‘My best opportunity was here’: Freshman corner never wavered after coordinator change

When news of Brent Venables’ departure for Oklahoma broke back in December, it wasn’t long after that Clemson saw an expected wave of decommitments that comes with a coordinator change. One by one, the IMG Academy trio of Keon Sabb, Jihaad Campbell …

When news of Brent Venables’ departure for Oklahoma broke back in December, it wasn’t long after that Clemson saw an expected wave of decommitments that comes with a coordinator change.

One by one, the IMG Academy trio of Keon Sabb, Jihaad Campbell and Daylen Everette, elected to pursue opportunities elsewhere. As well as Jaren Kanak, who chose to follow Venables to Norman.

And while there were rumors that Torinao Pride, Jr. could soon follow and also walk back his commitment ahead of the early signing period, that was never going to happen.

“I don’t know why those rumors got out or anything,” Pride recently told The Clemson Insider during an NIL collective appearance in Clemson Sunday. “I think they got out because I was so close with the IMG guys. I was supposed to room with Jihaad. Daylen, that was another close friend — he was a corner.

“I think the rumors got out just because I was close with them, but my best opportunity was here. My main goal, I’m not going to college for friendships. I’m going to play on the field because I got a goal at the end of the day.” 

Don’t get Pride wrong, he’s made plenty of friends in the class of 2022, but he didn’t choose Clemson because of the friendships he could make. He chose Dabo Swinney’s program because he knew it gave him the best opportunity to get on the field as soon as possible.

“I just want to get on the field,” he added.

Pride said that he’s still close with each Sabb, Campbell and Everette. During our conversation, he indicated that he could call all three of them at that very moment and they would answer.

Those relationships are still there, but that hasn’t deterred him from making new ones in what will be his home for the next 3-4 years.

“I feel like I met a lot of brothers,” Pride said. “A lot of long friendships here. I could be grown with kids and I could still hit up some of these guys over here and they could do the same with me.”

CFB analyst explains in detail why Alabama has the best LB room in the nation

Alabama Football has the two best linebackers in the country

Alabama Football has produced a plethora of superstars under [autotag]Coach Saban[/autotag] in the past decade. From a receiver room that featured [autotag]Jerry Jeudy[/autotag] [autotag]Henry Ruggs[/autotag] [autotag]DeVonta Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaylen Waddle[/autotag] to a running back room that had [autotag]Derrick Henry[/autotag] [autotag]Alvin Kamara[/autotag] [autotag]T.J. Yeldon[/autotag] and [autotag]Kenyan Drake[/autotag], it is safe to say that Saban is used to working with loaded position groups.

However, the 2022 Tide linebackers may be the best unit that Tuscaloosa, and college football for that matter, has ever seen.

247 Sports’ CFB analyst, Josh Pate, discussed the position group today as he said, “I think Alabama has the two best linebacker’s in college football in [autotag]Will Anderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Dallas Turner[/autotag].” The duo amazingly accounted for 20 sacks in 2021 as both were true underclassmen.

Behind the two superstars, is former five-star [autotag]Chris Braswell[/autotag] who would be a premier pass rusher at any other school, says Pate. The Tide also return their leading tackler from the 2021 campaign in [autotag]Henry To’oTo’o[/autotag] and he is joined by veteran [autotag]Jaylen Moody[/autotag]. Having these four on the field at the same time will be a headache for every single opponent this year.

In the waiting, are highly rated recruits such as [autotag]Deontae Lawson[/autotag] [autotag]Kendrick Blackshire[/autotag] and others. However, the real prized possession is IMG Academy’s [autotag]Jihaad Campbell[/autotag] who will likely fill Anderson’s role in 2023.

From starters to what’s coming down the pipeline, we will look back in a few years and certainly discuss the surreal amount of talent in this position group.

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Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

5 defensive players Alabama fans need to watch during A-Day

5 defensive players Alabama fans need to watch during A-Day

Alabama’s annual A-Day game is set to kick off on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. CT inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

There is plenty of talent both young and old to be excited about if you are a ‘Bama fan, and it will also be our first opportunity of the spring to see this year’s version of the Tide.

In his Thursday press conference leading up to A-Day, head coach Nick Saban said the format for the scrimmage would be the first-team offense against the first-team defense and the second-team offense against the second-team defense. With this format, fans will get to experience a more game-like scenario with good on good.

Leading up to the start of A-Day, I wanted to sit down and give fans a handful of players from each side of the ball that I believe could make an impact during the scrimmage. I want fans to keep in mind that these are players that fans have not seen make a tremendous impact yet for the Crimson Tide, but could on Saturday and during the 2022 season.

Yesterday we looked at the offensive players, today we will look at the defensive side of the ball.

Alabama’s linebacker room poised to be one of the best in the nation in 2022

The Crimson Tide should have a dominant force at LB for the 2022 season.

It’s safe to say that Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr probably should have been invited to the Heisman Trophy festivities in New York this past December, but he will have every opportunity to earn his way there by putting together another solid season for the Crimson Tide in 2022.

Anderson led all of college football in sacks with 17.5 while also recording 31 total tackles for loss.

Anderson, of course, is the most notable starter returning on the Tide defense, but the linebacker room, in general, is going to wind up being a force to be reckoned with come September.

With Henry To’o To’o’s decision to return to school for another season the Tide had its leading tackler from 2021 back despite the fact that he was projected to be drafted as high as the first round.

To’o To’o led the Crimson Tide in tackles this fall with 112. That included 8.5 tackles for loss, four of which were sacks. He also broke up two passes and forced one fumble in one season with Alabama.

Dallas Turner came into his own after coming in for an injured Drew Sanders early in the 2021 season, and he never relinquished the spot.

Turner saw action in all 15 of the Tide’s games during the 2021 season. In total, Turner recorded 30 tackles, including 10 for a loss with 8.5 sacks. He also had five quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery.

Jaylen Moody seemed to be a sure transfer, especially considering the impending return of To’o To’o. However, after reportedly taking a visit to Texas, he ultimately decided that his home would remain in Tuscaloosa just a mere week after announcing his decision to test the transfer waters.

Moody is a key reserve for the Tide’s LB corp. He totaled 11 tackles and snagged an interception while twice receiving accolades from the Alabama coaching staff for outstanding play on special teams.

While losing Christian Harris and Christopher Allen will certainly hurt, Saban and co. recruited some studs to form in and will also rely on returning players to fill the gaps left by their absence.

Jeremiah Alexander and Jihaad Campbell are two fine examples of incoming freshman who will make a difference as linebackers eventually from their EDGE position. Both were rated as consensus five-star prospects and both enrolled early at the Capstone.

A more traditional linebacker prospect in four-star Shawn Murphy also enrolled early at UA and will look to develop his game to make an impact down the line.

All said, Alabama’s linebacker room is looking to be one of the best in the nation. Despite some transfers from Drew Sanders and Shane Lee, the Tide has plenty of weapons to circumvent the departures.

Alabama will look to avenge their loss at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2021 CFP Championship game during the 2022 season. It should prove to be an outstanding campaign for the defending SEC champions.

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for continued coverage of the Crimson Tide.

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Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Layne Gerbig on Twitter @LayneG_29. 

Several Alabama signees finish as 5-stars in recent On3 rankings update

Nick Saban is showing no signs of slowing down both on the field and on the recruiting trail

Traditional signing day is just a little over a week away and although Nick Saban and Alabama have pretty much wrapped up its class of 2022, player rankings continue to be updated.

On Monday, On3 Sports released its updated On300 rankings and several of Alabama’s signees finished with five-star status.

The Crimson Tide came in at No. 2 in the country in the consensus rankings just behind Texas A&M.

In total, Alabama saw five of its signees finish with a five-star rating. Of those, three were on offense and two were on defense. Here is every five-star signee the Crimson Tide has for the class of 2022.

To top things off, the updated rankings also show that in total, Alabama landed 15 of the top 100 players according to On3. Here are the remaining signees who finished inside of the top 100.

The class of 2022 is absolutely loaded for Saban and the Tide and it should be a lot of fun to watch these prospects develop over the next few seasons.

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for more recruiting news and updates on the Alabama Crimson Tide!

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on Twitter @Blackwood89.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Alabama’s 2022 early enrollees include nine top 100 recruits

Alabama’s 2022 early enrollees include nine top 100 recruits

The season has come to an end and it is time to start shifting our focus to the team that will take the field in 2022.

Nick Saban and his staff had a fantastic early signing period back in December, and several of those prospects have already enrolled at the university.

Among those that have enrolled early, nine of the twelve are top 100 recruits according to the On3 consensus rankings.

Below is the complete list of early enrollees and their On3 consensus rankings.

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for all the latest on the Crimson Tide!

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on Twitter @Blackwood89.