Alabama football has had dozens of absolute stars since Nick Saban took over. Who are the top four for each position group?
Nick Saban has created a dynasty at the University of Alabama. For more than a decade the Tide have been at the forefront of college football. Even when you add in a few seasons of disappointment (including this one), there are tons of star players that have writ their names in crimson flame.
Alabama’s success began with a stout defense and powerful running game. Players like Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson, and Eddie Lacy carried the Tide through years of quarterback play that was less than stellar. Defensively, linebackers carried defenses for years. They still do to some extent, but other positions have picked up the slack.
In today’s day and age, everyone wants to name a “position university”. We have RBU, QBU, DBU, and so on. Alabama is at least in the running for most of these things. You could make a team simply from the last decade that would rival with any all-time team in college. Add in their NFL success, and Alabama has been the standard for college football.
Everyone wants to make Mount Rushmore lists for everything. The four best actors, coaches, or players. It can be for a team, an era, or for all-time. Due to Alabama’s illustrious history, it seems impossible to narrow down a list of the best players to just four players. I can’t even narrow it down to the four best since Saban has taken over. The best I can do is a Mount Rushmore by position group of the Saban era.
To make my selections, I am focusing mostly on what they did at Alabama. This will be a balance of both on and off the field, including stats and historic moments.