January 12th, 2012 at 2:34 PM ^
..now what about Hightower? That would return almost no experienced linebackers if he leaves too.
January 12th, 2012 at 2:34 PM ^
I thought Hightower was going also??
January 12th, 2012 at 5:11 PM ^
He is....see the ESPN article....http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2012/story/_/id/7455537/trent-richardson-dre-kirkpatrick-alabama-crimson-tide-enter-nfl-draft... Hightower already graduated in December(although he has one more fall of eligibility if he wanted it) and wasn't at the press conference because he was "under the weather" but was quoted in the article and is gone.
That means 5 offensive starters and 7 defensive starters leaving Alabama. At least we get their replacements in their first game.
January 12th, 2012 at 2:36 PM ^
Only real news is that starting MLB Dont'a Hightower will return . . . not good!!
January 12th, 2012 at 2:38 PM ^
When is the date that you have to declare?
I don't see how him or that stud S comes back.
January 12th, 2012 at 6:03 PM ^
Is what someone on here said the other day.
January 12th, 2012 at 2:39 PM ^
I'm also seeing mixed opinions on whether Hightower declared or not. He wasn't at the press conference but some are reporting he did declare. I really hope he goes as 3 of Alabama's starting 4 LB's, NT, both starting CBs and one of their safeties will all be gone.
January 12th, 2012 at 2:47 PM ^
Ya here is one report of all of them going pro...http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2012-01-12/trent-richar…
January 12th, 2012 at 2:41 PM ^
We're totally going to crush Alabama now. They won't have any talent left!
January 12th, 2012 at 2:46 PM ^
Well played, sir.
January 12th, 2012 at 3:29 PM ^
You have a gift, my friend. Thank you for sharing it with the world.
January 12th, 2012 at 3:32 PM ^
I just hope that Saban is able to recruit enough kids to one day regroup for this massive talent depletion.
January 12th, 2012 at 3:50 PM ^
I think the demise of the Alabama defense may be over stated.
With that being said though, I'm not sure where they'll stack rank in terms of toughest defenses we face next year. By the end of the game, they had two true freshman (Trey DePriest and lightly recruited Vinnie Sunseri) looking like All-Sec players. But this was partially due to LSU's poorly schemed and executed offense.
With the fortune of catching all of Alabama's new starters the first game of the year, MSU may actually be the best defense we face next year.
Thoughts?
January 12th, 2012 at 2:46 PM ^
Sporting News disagrees...
Edit: And they say it's still to be announced, along with Robert Lester, not that he's staying-
Scout $ headline says he's hasn't decided yet either.
So I guess the title didn't say it all.
January 12th, 2012 at 2:42 PM ^
hightower will go pro, he doesn't wana get his ankles broken by denard in the first game of the season
January 12th, 2012 at 2:52 PM ^
According to quite a few people on twitter, Hightower IS going pro. He wasn't feeling well and didn't attend the press conference.
http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2012-01-12/trent-richar…
January 12th, 2012 at 3:01 PM ^
Was going to post the same exact thing as lilwolve. Hightower is gone. Now its time for more future first round draft picks to step in. Also hearing that Lester will return for his senior yr.
January 12th, 2012 at 3:07 PM ^
Hightower is done - confirmed by Joe Schad.
January 12th, 2012 at 3:10 PM ^
Chris Walsh said...
Dont'a Hightower is going pro - just felt it was pretty much assumed, so didn't participate in the press conference
January 12th, 2012 at 3:16 PM ^
I heard they were remaking Police Academy...(though no Bubba Smith, obviously)...
January 12th, 2012 at 3:18 PM ^
I really don't know bama's depth chart that well but I'll be that guy, With all of these guys leaving what are the chances we see dee hart and hasean? I know thier both sore topics but they were good kids. of all the 120 scholarship players ( I mean 85) those 2 are about the only bama kids I'll ever root for.
January 12th, 2012 at 5:00 PM ^
Dee is coming off a knee injury, so I'm not sure where he is in his recovery. I have no clue about Haha.
January 12th, 2012 at 5:12 PM ^
Ha Ha played as a backup this year. I'm pretty sure we'll see him in September. I've heard rumors that Hart might look to transfer, but we'll see.
January 12th, 2012 at 3:19 PM ^
If the players said it themselves, then it's probably true. But if Silver-Tongued Saban said it, it probably means they're all coming back for next year.
Unless he cuts them the last week of camp.
January 12th, 2012 at 3:29 PM ^
according to ESPN Hightower has made his decision to go pro
January 12th, 2012 at 3:41 PM ^
I'm reading on Sporting News that Hightower is going pro. For our sake, I hope he is. Our offense is nowhere even close to being able to compete with that kind of defense.
Richardson was a given, but I'd expect to see more of Eddie Lacy than Dee Hart, since Lacy was running the ball well in the NCG, and Hart hasn't played at all. Lacy isn't as good as Richardson, but I'm expecting him to run well against us.
January 12th, 2012 at 3:53 PM ^
Hart is injured and taking a redshirt, so the fact that he wasn't being played in the NC game means nothing about playing time next year
January 12th, 2012 at 3:50 PM ^
Good for Alabama - one less kid will be given a medical hardship or kicked off the team because he violated the "team rules" of not being as good as someone else.
January 12th, 2012 at 3:58 PM ^
If any team can reload its bama. They sign like 30 recruits every year and most are very highly rated recruits. And then once you get in the program, if you dont show your a player, you're out. They weed out all the deadweight and keep the good players. They have alot of good young players...
January 12th, 2012 at 4:16 PM ^
someone tell the Alabama defense to hunker down in their fox holes... theres a FITZKRIEG COMIN!
January 12th, 2012 at 4:16 PM ^
....like other SEC teams, can't they just trade with the teams that draft Richardson, Kirkpatrick and Hightower and get their talent back that way?
All three of them going pro actually works well for us - a decimated Alabama is a beatable Alabama. Being that it is Saban, can we pretend this is the 1997 game against MSU and truck them 23-7?
January 12th, 2012 at 4:27 PM ^
Btw, Hightower is going pro. Chiblue, get your facts straight buddy...
January 12th, 2012 at 4:27 PM ^
Btw, Hightower is going pro. Chiblue, get your facts straight buddy...
January 12th, 2012 at 5:10 PM ^
link for hightower gone:
http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2012/story/_/id/7455537/trent-richardson-dr…
January 12th, 2012 at 6:49 PM ^
i knew academics there were bad but full time athlete can do it in 2 and a half yrs. cmon!
"I never thought I'd be in college playing football, or I never thought I'd be almost done with my degree. In 2½ years, I'm almost done with my college degree. That's big for me." T Richardson
January 12th, 2012 at 7:05 PM ^
His degree is in Coloring and I've heard he does quite well. He doesn't even go outside the lines.
<br>He has talked about going back when his playing days are over for his masters in Connect the Dots.
January 12th, 2012 at 8:23 PM ^
many athletes are In school year round. most of them take summer and sometimes winter classes if the school offers it. if they take full time summer courses they basically completed 6 semesters in 2 years
January 12th, 2012 at 10:03 PM ^