The Saban Top 100: No. 11 Rolando McClain

BamaCentral is ranking the top 100 players of the Nick Saban era at Alabama over the course of the 2020 football season

11] Rolando McClain, LB

• Won 2009 Butkus Award
• 2009 SEC Defensive Player of the Year
• 2009 Unanimous All-American
• 2008-09 All-SEC
• Eighth-overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft
• First Alabama linebacker to win the Lambert Award (best linebacker)
• Had 105 tackles including 14.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, fourteen quarterback hurries, two interceptions, three passes broken up, and a forced fumble during his final season
• Team captain

Five things to know about Rolando McClain:

- McClain was a two-time dean’s list student at Alabama. His major was in family financial planning.

- Before going pro, McClain led the Tide with 105 tackles his junior season, including 14.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, 14 quarterback pressures, four pass breakups, two interceptions and forced one fumble. After vanquishing Florida in the SEC Championship Game, the Tide led the SEC in rushing defense, total defense, scoring defense and pass efficiency defense, and ranked second in passing defense heading into its showdown with Texas at the Rose Bowl.

- McClain had stomach/intestinal issues during the week building up to the national championship game and missed the mandatory media day. At one point he had been diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease as a freshman at Decatur (Ala.) High School, but later told reporters he had been misdiagnosed. Regardless, McClain nearly didn’t play against the Longhorns as a stomach bug was going around the team. He had IVs the day before the game, before kickoff, at halftime and after the game was over.

- He was just the second Alabama player to win the Butkus Award, joining Derrick Thomas in 1988. Other than DeMeco Ryans taking home the 2005 Lott Trophy for the defensive impact player of the year it was the first major national honor for a Crimson Tide defensive player since Antonio Langham won the Jim Thorpe Award for best defensive back in 1993, and one of just three for a front-seven player, joining Thomas and 1986 Lombardi Award winner for best lineman, Cornelius Bennett.

- McClain’s passion is fishing. 

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The Saban Top 100 will be revealed over the course of the 2020 football season, with the top players unveiled one a day as part of BamaCentral's 25 Days of Christmas celebration.

The series thus far:

Introduction

No. 12: Trent Richardson

No. 13: Andre Smith

No. 14: Quinnen Williams

No. 15: Dont'a Hightower

No. 16: Jerry Jeudy

No. 17: Jalen Hurts

No. 18: Reuben Foster

No. 19: Chance Warmack

No. 20: Mark Barron

No. 21: Jonah Williams

No. 22: Da'Ron Payne

No. 23: Ryan Kelly

No. 24: Landon Collins

No. 25: Cam Robinson

26-30: Terrence Cody, Calvin Ridley, Javier Arenas, Reggie Ragland, Jedrick Wills Jr.

31-35: Dee Milliner, D.J. Fluker, Marlon Humphrey, Rashad Evans, A'Shawn Robinson

36-40: Rashaan Evans, Dre Kirkpatrick, Marcell Dareus, Eddie Jackson, O.J. Howard

41-45: Courtney Upshaw, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Henry Ruggs III, Jarran Reed, Xavier McKinney

46-50: Dalvin Tomlinson, Antoine Caldwell, Kareem Jackson, Cyrus Kouandjio, Trevon Diggs

51-55: Mike Johnson, T.J. Yeldon, Ronnie Harrison, Damien Harris, JK Scott

56-60: Ross Pierschbacher, Eddie Lacy, Bradley Bozeman, Ryan Anderson, Glen Coffee

61-65: Greg McElroy, Josh Jacobs, Anfernee Jennings, James Carpenter, Kenyan Drake

66-70: Terrell Lewis, Blake Sims, Christian Miller, Irv Smith Jr., Tim Williams

71-75: Mack Wilson, ArDarius Stewart, Deionte Thompson, Raekwon Davis, Jalston Fowler

76-80: Josh Chapman, Cyrus Jones, Kevin Norwood, Isaiah Buggs, Jake Coker

81-85: Bo Scarbrough, Anthony Averett, Leigh Tiffin, Ed Stinson, DeQuan Menzie

86-90: Jesse Williams, Shaun Dion Hamilton, William Vlachos, Da'Shawn Hand, Arie Kouandjio

91-95: Nico Johnson, Wallace Gilberry, DJ Hall, Vinnie Sunseri, Quinton Dial

96-100: Trey DePriest, Damion Square, Christion Jones, John Parker Wilson, Simeon Castille