By Michael Casagrande, Decatur (Ala.) Daily
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- If there was one unit on the Alabama football team that didn't give much cause for preseason concern, it was the linebackers.
Expert after expert ranked them among the nation's elite, and The Sporting News named them the best in the country. But that was before Brandon Fanney was kicked off the team before preseason camp, leaving the group without the team's third-leading tackler from 2008.
So the Crimson Tide coaches have been doing a little experimenting in the first week of practices as defenders are trying new positions in determining a new Jack linebacker -- a hybrid of a defensive end and linebacker in coach Nick Saban's 3-4 defense.
Eryc Anders filled in as the starting Jack in April's A-Day game when Fanney was suspended and has drawn praise from Saban early in camp. The senior from San Antonio also has played some at the Sam spot, which is the outside linebacker on the strong side. The Mike linebacker plays in the middle on the strong side, and the Will plays inside on the weak side.
"Maybe after eight or 10 practices, maybe after two weeks of practices, maybe after 20 practices -- at some point in time if some combination of guys looks like it's going to be best for our team, then that's when we'll make a choice and decision about that," Saban said. "But I think we have some good players and I think we have some good candidates. I think there is lots of opportunity there for lots of players."
Two who are all but assured of starting spots are sophomore Dont'a Hightower and senior Rolando McClain, both All-America candidates. McClain appears to be firm at Mike linebacker, but Hightower has been shuffled to different spots. He is taking reps at Jack, and Cory Reamer, last season's starting Sam, moved over to Will in one of last week's practices.
Defensive lineman Milton Talbert has practiced a little with the linebackers in a move Saban called "experimental."
With an extra emphasis on rushing the passer after the Crimson Tide ranked seventh in the Southeastern Conference with 26 sacks last season, whoever plays Jack will be expected to disrupting opposing quarterbacks. The hiring of new linebackers coach and former Carolina Panthers assistant Sal Sunseri, an All-America linebacker at Pittsburgh, signified Saban's commitment to getting more pressure on the passers.
"Coach Sal came from the Carolina Panthers where he worked with John Fox, who is one of the best in the business at rushing the passer," Tide defensive coordinator Kirby Smart said. "He's brought a lot of new ideas and a lot of energy, and hopefully we can improve that."
Hightower, made 64 tackles as a freshman Will linebacker in 2008, said he looks forward to working with Sunseri and sounded interested in taking on the Jack job.
"I think Jack is a little bit easier than Will because the majority of the time you are pass rushing," Hightower said. "It's not easy, but it's a little bit easier than being in the middle."
Hightower listed other contenders for the job, including Courtney Upshaw, who got some time at the position last season. Then there are some highly touted freshmen, including high school All-Americans Nico Johnson and (North Jackson's) Tana Patrick who could compete for time if needed.
'GameDay' at Atlanta
It has been confirmed that ESPN's "College GameDay" crew will be at Atlanta's Olympic Centennial Park, beginning at 9 a.m. EDT, for the Tide's Sept. 5 season opener against Virginia Tech in the Georgia Dome.
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