30 best Alabama football players to play for Nick Saban

Best Alabama football players under Nick Saban: 7. Jonathan Allen

Jonathan Allen isn’t the most famous player to come out of Alabama in this era, but his stats in college were outright ridiculous. There are many great defensive linemen in the Saban era. None were able to do what Jonathan Allen did. He became a full-time starter in his sophomore season after showing promise his freshman year. He then began to dominate offensive lines as he was in the backfield on just about every play.

Allen’s sophomore year saw him get five sacks and 11 tackles for loss. He made his first of three All-SEC teams. During the Sugar Bowl against Ohio State, he had two tackles for loss and a sack. He was making big plays in his second year in college, but he became a star on the biggest stage of the season. This led to a more consistent Jonathan Allen.

Allen was in the backfield constantly in 2015. He had 14 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. He led the team in both stats. 11 of his 12 sacks came against ranked teams, showing he turned it on when the lights were bright and the competition was toughest. His pass-rushing ability helped the Crimson Tide win the National Championship. Clemson had to focus on him so much in the National Championship Game, it allowed other Alabama players to thrive.

His senior season was his best. He decided to make one more run at greatness before making the NFL, and while they didn’t win the National Championship, Allen added a ton to his trophy case. He won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Chuck Bednarik Award, the Ted Hendricks Award. and the Lombardi Award. He was named a unanimous All-American for the first time (although he deserved consideration in 2015). He trails only Derrick Thomas in career sacks at Alabama with 28.5. Allen was even seventh in Heisman Trophy voting as a defensive lineman. He was a monster on the defensive line, and he was someone who was known to step up when the Crimson Tide needed him.