Alabama Crimson Tide

Earlier, we ranked all 14 quarterback groups in the SEC. Now, it's time to rank the top 10 SEC quarterbacks heading into the 2012 season.

Again, we are looking at overall talent, game-changing ability and experience. We also looked at past performances and projections for 2012.

Here are our top 10 SEC quarterbacks:

1. Tyler Wilson, Sr., Arkansas: He could have easily left for the NFL after passing for more than 3,600 yards and 24 touchdowns last season. His big-time arm and incredible toughness weren't too shabby either. While his decision-making came into question sometimes last season, Wilson made tremendous strides this spring and should be an even smarter passer this fall.

2. Aaron Murray, RJr., Georgia: Murray has a chance to own a few more school and SEC records before his time at Georgia is up, but he does have to get over his turnover issues. Murray has some of the best technique and mechanics around, and when he's on and focused, he is one of the most talented passers out there.

3. Tyler Bray, Jr., Tennessee: Bray might have the strongest arm in the SEC, and has the ability to make some of the toughest throws in traffic. If he's healthy, he could go for 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns. His focus hasn't always been great, but he made sure to correct that this spring and appears to finally be transforming into the real leader he's wanted to be.

4. AJ McCarron, Jr., Alabama: He has the tools and the moxy to be a real star. As last season progressed, he looked better and better, and capped things off with a marvelous performance in the BCS title game. If coach Nick Saban is really going to let him loose, McCarron has to improve some of his on-field decisions.

5. James Franklin, Jr., Missouri: If he's healthy, Franklin will be the SEC's top dual-threat quarterback. During a breakout season last fall, he passed for 2,865 yards and 21 touchdowns, and rushed for 981 yards and 15 more scores. Franklin wants to be a pass-first quarterback in his new league, but his shoulder injury is a concern.

6. Connor Shaw, Jr., South Carolina: Shaw showed his inexperience when he was first thrown into the starting spot last season, but seemed to improve and calm down every week after. Coach Steve Spurrier wants him to be more of a pass-first quarterback, and that seemed to be the case at the end of last season and this spring.

7. Zach Mettenberger, Jr., LSU: Mettenberger was a top quarterback prospect coming out of high school, but has very little experience outside of a stint at the junior college level after leaving Georgia. Still, he's certainly an upgrade for the Tigers, and showed this spring that he should make LSU's passing game stronger and more explosive.

8. Jordan Rodgers, RSr., Vanderbilt: Rodgers was an instant playmaker for the Commodores when he replaced the struggling Larry Smith last year, but he struggled with turnovers. This spring was all about him improving his leadership skills and his game management. Vandy's coaches left spring more confident in Rodgers' play.

9. Tyler Russell, Jr., Mississippi State: He bided his time during his first two years, but is now the guy in Starkville. The hope is that he'll be more consistent and more comfortable now that he knows he's the starter. It looks like the Bulldogs will have a more downfield passing game with Russell taking over.

10. Maxwell Smith, So., Kentucky: Smith played in eight games last season, but proved to be a much more effective player than former starter Morgan Newton. Despite averaging just 102.4 passing yards per game, Smith earned SEC All-Freshmen honors last fall. Smith looked even better this spring, and it appears the Wildcats' starting quarterback spot is his to lose.

AJ McCarron and Eddie Lacy were both named to the Maxwell Award watch list Monday. The award is given to the country's most outstanding offensive player. Last year, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck took home the honor.

McCarron, who was often labeled a game-manager in his first year as the starting quarterback, threw for 2,634 yards and 16 touchdowns. His 147.3 quarterback efficiency rating was fourth-best in the SEC. Lacy was a backup to Heisman Trophy finalist Trent Richardson in 2011, but had a heavy hand in the offense when healthy. He ran for 674 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 7.1 yards per carry. Lacy is the presumed starter at running back for the Tide this season.

The defense did even better in Monday's awards release. Nico Johnson, Robert Lester, C.J. Mosley and Jesse Williams were named to the Bednarik Award watch list, tied with LSU and Michigan State for the most nominees from any college. Last year, LSU defensive back Tyrann Mathieu won the award.

Johnson and Mosley figure to start at linebacker. Johnson finished fourth on the team in tackles last season and fourth in tackles for loss. Mosley tallied 37 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.

Lester's return to the Alabama secondary was big considering the losses of Mark Barron, Dre Kirkpatrick and De'Quan Menzie to the NFL. Lester rebounded from a strong sophomore campaign to finish sixth in tackles and tied for second on the team with two interceptions.

The Bednarik announcement made it two major watch lists with Williams' name on it. In May he was named to the Lott IMPACT Award Watch list, despite playing a new position this season. With the departure of Josh Chapman and Nick Gentry, Williams will likely slide into the nose tackle spot for the Tide.

BEAVERTON, Ore. -- Team Super Bad, led by Alabama quarterback commit Cooper Bateman (Murray, Utah/Cottonwood), stormed through the seven-on-seven bracket, winning four games on Sunday to take the team title at The Opening.

Super Bad beat Team Field Generals 14-6 in the championship game. It concluded the four-day event presented by Nike Football that featured top prospects from all over the country competing in not only the seven-on-seven tournament, but also a linemen challenge, SPARQ rating national championship and receiving coaching from NFL players.

"Really, we had a different mentality coming into the day," Bateman said. "We knew we were going to have to beat some good teams. We kept getting better as the day went along and felt the flow offensively."

Bateman and Field Generals QB Max Browne, who pledged to USC, traded touchdown passes in the first half. Bateman hit Torii Hunter Jr. for a long strike before Browne connected with Alvin Bailey.

Bateman then hit Ezekiel Elliott for a score as the first half ended.

Neither team scored in the 25-minute second half. Kendall Fuller intercepted Browne early to thwart a drive. On the Field Generals' final possession, Ryan Green took a Browne pass into Super Bad territory, but Browne could not connect on four passes to the end zone. Keanu Neal broke up the fourth-down throw, intended for Bailey.

Hunter secured early-round wins with late catches and made several acrobatic grabs on Sunday. The son of four-time major league all-star Torii Hunter of the Los Angeles Angels, Hunter was named MVP of the seven-on-seven play. He is undecided on a college and considering offers that include Oklahoma, Arkansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, TCU, Notre Dame, West Virginia, Iowa, Arizona and Arizona State.

"Any kind of route, any kind of ball you throw him, he's going to make a play," Bateman said. "A couple balls that I had no business throwing, he went up and made a play. I don't know how he did it."

Hunter is also a standout center fielder at Prosper High School in Prosper, Texas. His father has won nine consecutive gold gloves from 2001 to 2009.

"His dad's who he is," Bateman said, "but Torii's making a name for himself. He definitely did it out here today. He came through for us in the clutch."

In addition to Hunter, the all-tourney team featured tight end O.J. Howard (committed to Alabama), linebacker Larenz Bryant (South Carolina), linebacker Jaylon Smith (Notre Dame), cornerback Jourdan Lewis (Michigan), running back Ryan Green (Florida State), Browne, tight end Jake Butt (Michigan), cornerback Cam Burrows (Ohio State), linebacker Matt Thomas and running back Ryan Switzer (North Carolina).

From now until kickoff in Arlington, Texas, we'll be counting down the days before Alabama and Michigan get the season started. Today, we move to No. 54 and what it means to UA football. See all the previous editions here.

In a Nick Saban defense, the heart is located right in center of the action. The nose tackle is the lynchpin, the cornerstone if you will, of the defense. And in No. 54 Jesse Williams, the Crimson Tide have a dynamic building block in the middle.

The flamboyant, tattoo-clad Aussie spent last year at defensive end and will move to nose tackle this season to fill the hole left behind when Josh Chapman and Nick Gentry exhausted their eligibility. But similar to Barrett Jones' move from left tackle to center, there's little concern how Williams will fit in over center.

In early May, Williams was named to the Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch list. As a junior, Williams was an integral part of the No. 1-ranked defense in the country at Alabama, starting all 13 games at defensive end. The 6-foot-4, 320-pound lineman finished the season with 24 tackles, four tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries in his first year with the Crimson Tide. Mark Barron and Dont'a Hightower were both named to the watch list in 2011. Boston College Linebacker Luke Kuechly took home the trophy.

In previewing the 2013 NFL Draft, scouting guru Mel Kiper Jr. listed Williams as one of the top five seniors available at defensive tackle. CBS Sports has him ranked as the No. 41 prospect overall and No. 5 at his position.

From now until kickoff in Arlington, Texas, we'll be counting down the days before Alabama and Michigan get the season started. Today, we move to No. 55 and what it means to UA football. See all the previous editions here.

The University of Alabama offense may not have been the flashiest thing in the world, but it was certainly effective. The Crimson Tide produced 55 touchdowns in 2011-12, scoring 34.8 points per game en route to another national championship.

And when you're giving up just 8.2 points per game, how much offense do you really need?

As it turns out, not that much. Looking back on last season, it's surprising to consider how lopsided the games were. With the exception of a three-point loss to LSU in November, no team finished within two touchdowns of the Tide. Penn State came the closest, losing handily, 27-11. As the Countdown pointed out yesterday, UA's margin of victory was 29.08 points.

The touchdowns scored by the Tide came from a number of places. AJ McCarron threw 16 and rushed for two more, Trent Richardson ran for 21 and caught three more, while the rest of the UA backfield combined for 11 scores. Special teams netted one touchdown. Even the defense got involved, putting the ball in the end zone four times -- three on interception returns and once on a recovered fumble.

For all the talk of Alabama's offense being stagnant, UA finished 20th in the country in scoring. Richardson finished sixth in all of college football in scoring and McCarron finished 71st in total offense.

Inside the 20-yard line, Alabama scored 55 percent of the time. Had it not been for a shaky field goal unit, UA could have put up the most points per game in the Nick Saban era.

From now until kickoff in Arlington, Texas, we'll be counting down the days before Alabama and Michigan get the season started. Today, we move to No. 56 and what it means to UA football. See all the previous editions here.

When the University of Alabama football program took its first steps, they weren't as glorious as you might think. There was no Bryant-Denny Stadium to play in, no Legion Field. Instead, head coach E.B. Beaumont took his team to a baseball park in Birmingham, Ala., on Nov. 11, 1892.

The result: Alabama 56, Opponent 0.

Well, the opponent was a mixture of local high school teams, but still. Back then Alabama had a 19-man team referred to as the "Crimson White", the "Cadets" or "The Varsity." A future governor of the state and future U.S. Speaker of the House were among those on the roster.

Apparently, there was no such thing as a friendly match with those guys. Imagine the reaction if Alabama beat up on a team to the tune of 56-o. It wouldn't be pretty.

Which brings me to the issue of margin of victory. Last season, the Tide won games by an average of 29 points. Let's look at the Nick Saban era:

• 2011-12: UA 453, Opponents 106
  Margin of victory: 29.08. Margin of defeats: 3
• 2010-11: UA 464, Opponents 176
  Margin of victory: 30.6. Margin of defeats: 6
• 2009-10: UA 449, Opponents 164
  Margin of victory: 20.36. Margin of defeats: N/A
• 2008-09: UA 422, Opponents 200
  Margin of victory: 21.24. Margin of defeats: 12.5
• 2007-08: UA 352, Opponents 286
  Margin of victory: 14.57. Margin of defeats: 6

Many of the nation's top prospects are camping at The Opening in Beaverton, Ore this weekend. Here are the Day 2 stories from ESPN's Recruiting Nation:

Mason Kelley: Two of a kind
Alabama commit Cooper Bateman and USC commit Max Browne can't shake each other. But the quarterbacks, who battled at camps all summer and whose teams will meet in the fall, wouldn't have it any other way. From the moment their Cottonwood-Skyline matchup on Sept. 7 was announced, both QBs understood it would surround their summers as they followed each other from an Elite 11 regional to The Opening to the Elite 11 finals and, eventually, the game itself.

Corey Long: Day 2 notebook
News and notes from The Opening, including updates on linebacker Matthew Thomas, safety Priest Willis and athlete Alvin Bailey, plus why Georgia QB commit Brice Ramsey can’t pass the ball enough.

(Read full post)

Want to watch the nation's best prospects at The Opening in Oregon this weekend? Here's you're one-stop shopping ...

Day One: Friday, July 6 starting at 7 p.m. CT

Day Two: Saturday, July 7 starting at 7 p.m. CT

Day Three: Sunday, July 8 starting at 7 p.m. CT

As the top recruits across the county assemble in Beaverton, Oregon for Nike’s The Opening, RecruitingNation asked them how much of a factor are the girls when it comes to picking a school.

From now until kickoff in Arlington, Texas, we'll be counting down the days before Alabama and Michigan get the season started. Today, we move to No. 57 and what it means to UA football. See all the previous editions here.

The raspy voice of Paul 'Bear' Bryant pipes through the loud speakers. The crowd waves back and forth. The band plays the fight song and we're off.

It's the Crimson Tide's home field advantage. And last season in Bryant-Denny Stadium, the atmosphere was electric as Alabama went 6-1 on its home turf. The Bama defense fed off the energy of the crowd and allowed just 57 points in Tuscaloosa, an average of 9.5 per game.

With the exception of Georgia Southern putting up 21 in mid November, the defense was nearly flawless at home. They allowed no offensive touchdowns in three games (Tennessee, LSU, Vanderbilt) and gave up just four passing touchdowns to eight interceptions. Only LSU and Georgia Southern rushed for more than 100 yards and three times teams couldn't get more than 50 yards on the ground.

The offense, for its part, did well at home, too. UA rushed for 140 yards or more in all but one game and came out on the positive end of the touchdown to interception ratio. There were moments like AJ McCarron going over the top against Tennessee and Marquis Maze weaving a punt return all the way back to the end zone against Arkansas.

Alabama will break in Bryant-Denny Stadium in Week 2 this season. The Tide will have one more home game than last year. They'll host Western Kentucky, Florida Atlantic, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Western Carolina and Auburn.