BamaInsider is unveiling its annual top-40 list for the Alabama football team. Players were rated based on their projected impact for the Crimson Tide this season. Today we move on to No. 3.
3 — Christian Harris, ILB
2020 highlights: Started all 13 games at inside linebacker… Selected as a Butkus Award semifinalist, finishing second on the team with 79 tackles. Also recorded seven stops for a loss, including 4.5 sacks with six quarterback hurries, two pass breakups and an interception… Earned defensive player of the week honors from the Alabama coaching staff for his play against Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Auburn.
Most memorable performance: Statistically speaking, Christian Harris’ best game came against Kentucky when he recorded a team-high 11 tackles including a sack. The starting Will linebacker registered a 90.7 defensive grade while helping the Tide hold the Wildcats to 179 yards of total offense, including just 27 yards in the second half. The only problem is that performance came during a rather forgettable 66-3 blowout victory for Alabama.
Harris’ most memorable moment occurred a month and a half later as he recorded a crucial interception during Alabama’s Rose Bowl victory over Notre Dame. After taking a 21-7 lead into the half, the Tide was forced to punt on the opening possession of the third quarter, giving Notre Dame a chance to claw its way back into the game. Facing a second-and-7 from the Irish 37-yard line, Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book scrambled to his right before tossing a pass that Harris plucked from the air.
The play marked Harris’ first career interception and gave Alabama the ball back at its 38-yard line. From there, Mac Jones capped off a five-play drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith to help the Tide put the game away. Harris finished the game with five tackles to go with the interception.
Why he's here: Alabama lost its leading tackler in Dylan Moses this offseason, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be without its best linebacker from last year. It can be argued that Harris was equally as important to the Tide’s success as he came into his own during his second season as a starter. Playing beside a banged-up Moses, the 6-foot-2, 232-pound defender assisted in calling the defense while offering plenty of athleticism in the middle of the field.
With Moses now in the NFL, Harris will likely be relied on to quarterback the defense full-time this season. That shouldn’t be a problem for the junior as he is the Tide’s most experienced defender, starting in 25 of his 26 games since joining the team in 2019.
Harris, a former defensive back and wide receiver in high school, has the mobility to man the field from sideline to sideline. He’s also one of Alabama’s best pass rushers, finishing third on the team with a 76.3 pass-rushing grade from PFF.
While his talent isn’t in question, it will be interesting to see how Harris handles becoming the face of Alabama’s defense as the pressures of that role have weighed heavily upon Mack Wilson and Moses before him.
Possible achievements: It isn’t easy to reach any of Alabama’s individual defensive records over a four-year career, much less by Year 3. While Harris isn’t likely to write his name in the record books this year, he could establish himself as one of the top linebackers in the nation.
Alabama has produced four Butkus Award winners, including three in the Nick Saban era. However, it’s been five years since Reuben Foster became the latest Tide linebacker to earn the honor in 2016. Harris has the talent to break that drought as he is viewed as one of the top inside linebackers in the nation. An extra year of experience along with an improved supporting cast around him should allow him to take his game to another level this season. If that’s the case, he could end up becoming a first-round pick in next year’s NFL Draft.
Key quote: “As far as taking a leadership role, I am really trying to focus on that this year,” Harris said this spring. “I think I had a little bit of a role last year, but I had a lot of guys like Dylan ahead of me and a lot of guys my freshman year that showed me what a great example it’d be like to be a leader on this team. I’m just trying to pick up after what they left off.”
