He did it with Ty Perine, but he needs to now look at Christian Barmore and a certain linebacker.
Part of Nick Saban’s “Bama factor” speech is having players that possess the desire to be impactful and want to be great on the field. Perine showed it every day in practice and when Saban decided to play him versus Tennessee, the walk-on proved he was the right choice at punter.
Since then, he’s become a fan favorite and is averaging 47.7 yards a punt.
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In Alabama’s rotation at linebacker, there is someone who wants to be more involved defensively.
When his name is brought up in player interviews, his teammates describe him as a ‘headhunter’ and a playmaker that loves to blow things up in the opposing team’s backfield.
Terrell Lewis, a junior, sugarcoated nothing about the sophomore – referring to him as an absolute ‘dog’ on the field.
“He’s a dog on special teams, but I feel like he’s one of those guys that you want to play defense too,” Lewis said. “He is a hard-nosed guy. He’s real physical too, so he’s just happy to be out there. A guy like him, he’s just happy to contribute anywhere – whether it’s offense, defense or special teams. He’ll go in on goal line situations. You love playing with guys like him.”
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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.
