Alabama legendary LB said this Tide linebacker ‘will be a problem’

Photo comes via Luke Metz's Instagram account

Alabama football had a couple of legendary linebackers on campus during spring practice.

Alabama legendary LB returned to assist Crimson Tide in spring practice

DeMeco Ryans was the keynote speaker at Kalen DeBoer’s coaching clinic, while Reuben Foster engaged several players in encouraging them to bring the hunger back on defense.

Foster, a former All-American, was the definition of a feared linebacker in the Nick Saban era.

Alabama fans loved his style as he helped the Crimson Tide to three consecutive Southeastern Conference Championships (2014-16) and a College Football Playoff National Championship in 2015. The Butkus Award winner played with a ferocious intensity, and Tide supporters consistently wonder will its program have linebackers to return it to Foster’s ability.

He was featured with Christian Miller, a former Alabama outside linebacker, on Wednesday via The Miller’s Edge on Tide 100.9 FM. Miller, a former two-time CFP National Champion in 2015 and 2017, asked Foster if any of the inside linebackers for this year’s Tide team remind him of himself. Foster likes the room as a whole, but there is a second-year player who caused him to light up in spring practice.

Former All-American LB is returning to Tuscaloosa in April to assist Kalen DeBoer

He believes this native Georgian is going to be very special.

“That No. 4 is going to be a problem,” Foster said.

“Luke Metz is going to be a problem. I know.”

Metz, a former four-star from Mill Creek High School, hails from the same program as first-round selection Caleb Downs. The 6-foot-3, 233-pounder played in 15 games last season, while producing on special teams.

Metz is one of multiple linebackers competing for the off-ball ‘Sting’ role next to Caleb Woodson in Alabama’s 4-2-5 system. The last player of Metz’s caliber that was a problem at linebacker was Foster’s former teammate, Dillon Lee.

Lee, like Metz, was a native Georgian who helped the Crimson Tide to a CFP National Championship in 2015 as an outside linebacker. Metz earned some first-team reps at inside linebacker in the spring, so we will see how much of a problem he causes in preseason camp.

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Stephen M. Smith is a team writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine.  You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.