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Nick Saban has developed a reputation for developing great linebackers, going back to his days at Michigan State and LSU. At Alabama, he’s coached some of the best in college, some of whom have gone on to success in the NFL.
The Crimson Tide heads into the 2015 season without a ton of experience at the position with just one starter returning from last season, but senior Reggie Ragland put off entering the NFL draft to come back to Tuscaloosa and try to lead Alabama back to the national championship.
Depending on how the season goes, Ragland has an opportunity to cement himself as one of the best linebackers Saban has ever coached.
All of which led SDS to think about the best linebackers to come through Alabama since Saban arrived in 2007. There are some obvious choices, but rounding out a Top 5 took some thought.
1. Rolando McClain, 2007-09
McClain was one of the first true stars to come out of the Saban era at Alabama, making All-SEC in 2008 and 2009 and earning consensus All-American honors in 2009 when he helped lead the Crimson Tide to its first national championship since 1992. He moved into the starting lineup as a true freshman and finished with 75 tackles, two interceptions and a sack. As a sophomore he had 95 tackles and three sacks and made third-team All-American before becoming one of the absolute best players in the country as a junior. That year he had 105 tackles, 14.5 of them for a loss, four sacks and two interceptions. He was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year and given the Butkus Award for the best linebacker in the country. The Raiders selected McClain at No. 8 overall in the 2010 NFL draft.
2. C.J. Mosley, 2010-13
A freshman All-American after playing in all 13 games in 2010, Moseley became a two-time first-teamer on the varsity All-American squad by the time he left Tuscaloosa. As a senior he was absolutely dominant. He racked up tackles to lead the Tide for the second straight year and shared the SEC Defensive Player of the Year award with Missouri’s Michael Sam. At the end of the season he helped Alabama earn its second straight BCS championship and was named Defensive MVP of the title game. A first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens, Mosley made the NFL All-Rookie team, the Pro Bowl and was second-team All Pro and the AFC North Rookie of the Year in 2014.
3. Dont’a Hightower, 2008-11
Hightower became a starter almost as soon as he set foot on campus. He teamed up with Rolando McClain his first season with the Crimson Tide to create one of the best inside linebacker pairs in the country. After a medical redshirt in 2009, Hightower came back better than ever in 2010, and by his final season at Alabama he finished with 85 tackles, four sacks, a forced fumble and a blocked kick. He was a consensus All-American in 2011 and left Bama after helping the Tide to a national championship that season. A first-round pick in the NFL Draft, he’s had at least 60 tackles in each of his three pro seasons and won a Super Bowl title with the Patriots.
4. Courtney Upshaw, 2008-11
Upshaw played in every game during his four-year Crimson Tide career and was a full-time starter as a junior and senior. His senior year he had 52 tackles and 9.5 sacks and was a first-team All-American. He also had a knack for making big plays in big games. As a sophomore, he recovered a fumble to seal a national championship victory against Texas. As a junior he had two sacks and forced a fumble in the Capital One Bowl and in his final game with the Crimson Tide he had seven tackles and a sack to earn Defensive MVP honors in the BCS National Championship Game. After that he was drafted in the second round by Baltimore and has added to his ring collection after helping to a Super Bowl XLVII championship.
5. Reggie Ragland, 2012-present
With his Alabama career yet to be complete, Ragland rates a notch below the players above and perhaps could have been replaced on this list with a player such as Nico Johnson. But has an opportunity to move higher up the ranking if he meets expectations for his senior season. Ragland played sparingly as a freshman and then backed up Mosley as a sophomore, but broke out as a star his junior season when he became a semifinalist for the Butkus Award. He had 95 tackles last season with four double-digit tackle games and also had 10.5 tackles for a loss. As the leader of the defense heading into 2015, he’s projected to earn All-American honors, which would move him into the category with the players above.
Shane Mettlen is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Texas A&M, Missouri and Alabama.
