Bama’s lucky to have Hightower

By Robert Rousseau  |   Monday, July 07, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Alabama Crimson Tide
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When you consider that Alabama, already inexperienced at both inside and outside linebacker, at first glance it would seem the Tide is in trouble. But the Tide’s coaches probably aren’t as worried about the team’s lack of experience at the position as one might think. After all, there are a few guys coming in from Bama's No. 1-rated 2008 recruiting class who are likely to do quite well pretty quickly.

One of those players is inside linebacker Don’ta Hightower.

Rather than beginning with his high school stats, which are pretty remarkable, it might make sense to start with what Hightower’s high school coach, David O’Connor, had to say about him.

"The sky is the limit for Don'ta,” said O’Connor. “He can be as good as he wants to be. When he gets in and learns the system (at Alabama), I think he will be very productive as a freshman."

And that’s what Alabama needs -- productivity as a freshman.

As for stats, Hightower, from Lewisburg, Tenn., stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 248 pounds, so he’s awfully big for the position he’s projected to play (inside linebacker). In addition, he benches 285 pounds and squats 500; thus, he’s got the leg strength to knock college running backs around.

Further, when it comes to the stuff that really matters -- how a player has competed -- it’s hard to outdo Hightower. He was named the Tennessean’s Defensive Most Valuable Player of 2007 in part because he recorded 168 tackles, including 14 for a loss, as a senior.

He also added five interceptions, four fumble recoveries on defense, chipping in 875 total yards and 19 touchdowns on offense.

Even as a junior, Hightower totaled 98 tackles, two sacks and seven forced fumbles, so he’s no one-year wonder. What's more, he's an incredibly hard hitter.

So even with the suspensions, expulsions from the team, and injuries to the linebacking corps, the Tide has enough young talent (led by Hightower) to field some very competitive players at the position.

And there are other pretty talented backers arriving in Tuscaloosa, by the way. He’s just one of the very good ones.
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About Robert Rousseau

Robert Rousseau is a sports writer that has been published in a variety of print and online venues. He’s been writing for RealFootball365.com for almost three years now. When Rousseau isn’t writing about college football he tends to be penning mixed martial arts pieces for MMAFighting.com or ...
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