Nick Saban had to provide a few marquee freshmen on defense with valuable on the job training through his first 12 seasons at Alabama.
Among those players were Rolando McClain, Dont’a Hightower and C.J. Mosley.
This trio of inside linebackers became All-Americans for the Crimson Tide and while Dylan Moses is in position to be next, there is a young freshman that has caught Saban’s eye.
RELATED: WATCH: Stephen M. Smith recaps final fall camp practice
He was not an early enrollee, but Christian Harris is quickly understanding with the “Bama factor” is on defense.
The four-star from University Lab School (Baton Rouge, La.) started in Alabama’s second preseason scrimmage and did enough to earn praise from his head coach.
Saban mentioned the talented athlete in the same sentence as he used for McClain, Hightower and Mosley.
At 6-foot-2 and 244 pounds, Harris looks the part and has a bright future to be a middle “Mike” linebacker at some point. For now, he is in a five-man race for the weakside linebacker role – opposite Moses. Harris was getting reps with the first team throughout fall camp and despite getting banged up, the Tide still had him with the group.
He may be the youngest of the bunch, experience wise, but he is ready to prove he is Alabama’s best option at the position. In this airing of In My Own Words, Stephen Smith of Touchdown Alabama Magazine dives into Harris and talks on the impact he’ll have if he wins the job.
You can also listen to the audio version of the podcast via Spreaker.
Listen to “Is Christian Harris the best option at ILB for Bama?” on Spreaker.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
