Alabama Football: Ranking the Top 10 inside linebackers of the Nick Saban era
By Matt Melton
![NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 02: C.J. Mosley #32 of the Alabama Crimson Tide stands on the field during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 2, 2014 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 02: C.J. Mosley #32 of the Alabama Crimson Tide stands on the field during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 2, 2014 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/e07a8ed6f9e5cb9e961d6bdd3ecd9ee67c3f5ca79f4b9dbc0f442203fa602c2f.jpg)
2. Rolando McClain
Career Stats: 274 tackles, 31.5 TFL, 8 sacks, 5 INT across 41 games
One of the earliest defensive stars of the Nick Saban era, McClain originally came to Tuscaloosa in the Crimson Tide’s 2007 class out of in-state Decatur High School, where he was rated as a four-star prospect. McClain would certainly go on to become one of the most impactful names of the early Saban era in Tuscaloosa as well, compiling a combined 274 tackles, 31.5 TFL, eight sacks, and five INT’s across his three seasons from 2007-09.
A one-time national champion in 2009, arguably McClain’s best season at Alabama was that junior campaign, a year in which he ranked No. 5 in the SEC with 105 tackles, along with owning 14.5 TFL (No. 3 in SEC) and four sacks. Also receiving honors that season such as Consensus All-American, SEC Player of the Year, and Butkus Award winner, McClain would go on to be selected with the No. 8 overall pick in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft.
1. C.J. Mosley
Career Stats: 317 tackles, 23 TFL, 6.5 sacks, 5 INT, 17 PD, 1 FF across 51 games
Sitting in the No. 1 spot as Alabama’s top inside linebacker under Saban is Mosley, who originally came to Tuscaloosa as a four-star prospect in the Crimson Tide’s 2010 recruiting class out of in-state Theodore High School. Once at Alabama, Mosley would be a major four-year impact player for the Crimson Tide, and would conclude his collegiate career from 2010-13 with a stat line of 317 tackles, 23 TFL, 6.5 sacks, five INT’s (three of which were returned for a TD), 17 PD, and a FF.
A two-time national champion with the Crimson Tide in 2011 and 2012, Mosley was also a two-time Consensus All-American during the 2012 and 2013 seasons, with his 2013 campaign likely the most memorable in which he compiled 106 tackles (No. 4 in SEC) with nine TFL to be named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and Butkus Award winner. Mosley’s second-straight 100+ tackle season (also had 107 in 2012), the former four-star would also be selected with the No. 17 overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, where he has made five Pro Bowls since.
Next. Revisiting the 2020 season of Alabama WR DeVonta Smith. dark