Alabama Football: Best player to wear each jersey number in Saban era

Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
12 of 21
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Alabama football jersey rankings 51-55

No. 51: Carson Tinker

Carson Tinker is one of the two best long snappers Alabama has seen in a while. He’s also known for being one of the many victims in the tragedy that was the April 27 tornadoes. Tinker was severely injured, and he considers himself very lucky to be alive. After college, he was the long snapper for the Jaguars for many years.

No. 52: Alfred McCullough

Alfred McCullough was a lineman with the Tide. He started on defense, and then transitioned to offensive guard after one year. He moved around the line with injuries, but he ended his career starting for a National Championship team. He bounced around training camps in the NFL before moving on in his professional life. I’m also neighbors with his family, and they are some pretty cool people.

No. 53: Anthony Orr

No. 53 is another unpopular number. Anthony Orr is one of the only players to see any time with this number. He only logged stats for one season according to Sports Reference, and he only got four total tackles in that year. If you can find another player who did more in this jersey while Saban has been the coach, please let me know.

No. 54: Dalvin Tomlinson

Dalvin Tomlinson is a monster on the defensive line. He was a wrestling champion in high school, and it shows in his hand usage and footwork. It didn’t show in his stats, but he basically clogged up the middle of the offensive line while the players around him made the tackle. It’s a tough job without a lot of glory, but he did it extremely well.

No 55: Cole Mazza

Cole Mazza was another great long snapper. He should’ve been signed by an NFL team when he graduated, but he had to spend a year with the Birmingham Iron before he was finally given a true chance with the Los Angeles Chargers. Long snapper is a position that you never see when they do it right. You only see it when they make mistakes. The fact that you never heard about Cole Mazza is the best case scenario for the man.