Bummed out about the NCAA Tournament being canceled? We are too. That’s why BamaInsider created its own version of March Madness to determine who is the Crimson Tide’s greatest player in the Nick Saban era.
We have compiled a 64-player field with seed rankings of No. 1 through No. 16. The tournament will be played out throughout the month and will be determined by fan voting. Fans can vote either through BamaInsider’s Twitter account (@bamainsider) or on the Talk of Champions message board. Players will be matched up against each other with the one receiving the most total votes between both mediums advancing to the next round.
Today we continue with the second half of the Derrick Henry bracket.
No. 6 seed Dee Milliner vs No. 11 seed Daron Payne
Dee Milliner: Only one Alabama player has broken up more passes all-time than Milliner (36). He broke up 20 as a junior in 2012. Again only one player had broken up more in a single season, and no player had broken up even 16 in a season since 1999. His ability to make plays in coverage earned him a spot as a finalist for both the Jim Thorpe Award (best defensive back) and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (best defensive player) in 2012.
Daron Payne: Payne is perhaps best remembered for his toe-tapping touchdown scored on offense against Clemson when the two teams met in the semifinals at the end of the 2017 season. He recorded his first-career interception in that game as well and was named the Defensive MVP. Payne was again recognized as the Defensive MVP when he recorded six tackles against Georgia in the subsequent national championship victory. His numbers won’t wow you, but Payne was a force in the middle of the defense that helped the Crimson Tide attack opposing runners and quarterbacks alike.
No. 3 seed Rolando McClain vs No. 14 seed Kenyan Drake
Rolando McClain: McClain led the Crimson Tide in both total tackles (200) and tackles for loss (26.5) in 2008 and 2009. No other player in the Saban era has paced the team in both categories more than once. He was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2009 and was subsequently named the 2009 Butkus Award winner given to the nation’s best linebacker. In three years, he recorded 274 tackles. Had he stuck around one more year, McClain could have fallen well short of the pace he was on and still taken the top spot from Alabama’s all-time tackle leader Wayne Davis (327 tackles made in the 1980s).
Kenyan Drake: His most significant moment is easily Drake’s 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Clemson in the national championship game at the conclusion of the 2015 season. Drake showed big-play potential throughout his career. However, injuries and teammate Derrick Henry prevented Drake from standing out the way some other Alabama running backs have done over the years. Drake is only Alabama’s 33rd all-time rusher with 1,495 yards, but only three backs with a minimum of 200 carries have averaged more yards per carry over their career than Drake did (6.41).
No. 7 seed Mark Barron vs No. 10 seed Marlon Humphrey
Mark Barron: Only six Alabama players in the Saban era have gone higher in the first round than Barron, who was taken seventh overall by Tampa Bay in the 2012 NFL Draft. He earned his spot by proving he could do it all. Barron hauled in 12 interceptions during his career. Only eight guys caught more for Alabama. He was especially good at finding the ball in 2009 when he caught seven interceptions. He led Alabama in tackles the next season with 75 total, and Barron broke up 22 passes before time in Tuscaloosa came to an end (only 11 Alabama players have accounted for more pass breakups).
Marlon Humphrey: Humphrey started all 29 games he played in during his Alabama career. That he was able to leave Tuscaloosa after only two seasons on the field and still earn a first-round selection in the 2017 NFL Draft is a testament to how well he played for the Crimson Tide. Humphrey recorded 81 tackles, five interceptions and 13 pass breakups in his career. He also caught Adam Griffith’s onside kick against Clemson in the national championship game at the end of the 2015 season.
No. 2 seed Amari Cooper vs No. 15 seed Robert Lester
Amari Cooper: Cooper is Alabama’s all-time leader in receptions (228), receiving yards (3,463) and touchdown receptions (31). He became the first Crimson Tide player to win the Biletnikoff Award (given to the nation’s top receiver) in 2014 when he set three single-season program records (124 receptions for 1,727 yards and 16 receiving touchdowns). He’s also responsible for half of Alabama’s eight games where a single receiver caught at least 12 passes. So it’s no surprise his 124-reception season in 2014 is 35 catches ahead of any other Crimson Tide player in any season.
Robert Lester: Lester earned his way onto the bracket by picking off opposing pass-catchers. He recorded eight interceptions in 2010 (only Hootie Ingram has ever hauled in more in a single season). Lester finished his career with 14 total picks (only four Alabama players have recorded more). Alabama failed to capitalize on it, but it was Lester who set the Crimson Tide up at midfield in the 2011 loss 9-6 overtime loss to LSU when he picked off Tiger quarterback Jarrett Lee on LSU’s second possession.
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