So is Ragland staying or going?

He'd be wise to stay IMO.

Stays.

Will be a frontrunner for the Butkus next year.

If the staff does a great job on Reuben in the offseason, Depriest might not be too hard to replace. I'd also imagine that they'll be weak at one of the safety spots, but not both. But yeah, I think it's crucial that Ragland stays. Either way, the D-Line will be 100% stacked again, while everything behind it will have at least a little bit of catching up to do. Kinda reminds me of 2010.

He's gotta stay. He'd improve his stock drastically if he played one more year leading another dominant defense.

Seriously, that D though.

DL returnees: Robinson, Reed, Allen, Pettway, Tomlinson, and Hand.

Hand's role would expand a little bit, Robinson could get back to form, Reed would be even better than he is now, and Allen will probably become one of CFB's best. Josh Frazier starts to get some PT, add in guys like Payne and hopefully a CeCe Jefferson or Cowart type. Mekhi Brown too if we play him at DE instead of Jack. We only would lose Ivory in this situation, and that is addition by subtraction.


LB returnees: Ragland, Devall, Anderson, Lee, Williams

Ragland and Devall are starters, Anderson plays a lot, Lee and Tim Williams play a little bit. Throw in a guy like Reuben Foster getting more PT, plus Rashaan Evans will definitely be rushing more often. Christian Miller may play too. We'd lose Dickson and that'd hurt a bit, but losing DePriest won't be too big of a deal if Ragland can make the calls.


CB returnees: Cyrus Jones, Eddie Jackson, Tony Brown

All three of our CBs who have played this year come back. Hopefully we find away to get all three on the field at the same time, because Eddie is looking like he's gonna live up to the hype, Cyrus is ever improving, and TB has looked good for a Freshman in Saban's secondary. Gotta find a way to put all three on the field at the same time. Play one at Star. This will be a strength for us. Also Mo Smith will be back to provide depth.

Safety returnees: Geno Smith

This could be, for the first time in forever, a weakness. Only because of the lack of experience. Geno has played a lot in different roles, as it stands now he may be asked to take over at FS. That is fine and dandy, but we need someone to step up at SS and Money, plus depth. Hootie Jones is a SS with a lot of potential. If he has been working hard to learn the defense, he could take that role. Ronnie Clark is a guy who could also play SS, and both could play Money. Don't count out a Freshman like Deionte Thompson from minding a a role deep in Dime.

ST returnees: JK Scott, Cole Mazza, Adam Griffith

Scott and Mazza are awesome. Griffith has the leg, he just has to keep his mind clear. He may lose his job though.

Only hole on the team experience wise would be WR. Even on the OL we lose two starters, but Shank and Hill are guys who could step in, and both have started a few games and played in a lot more.

"Am I coming or going? I can barely decide"

Heard he isn't in dire need of money or anything.

Foster can't stay conscious long enough to contribute.

Ragland has shown himself to be great on run support but he's got improvement to make in coverage and the NFL game is a coverage game first and a run support game second. I like Ragland alot but going pro this year would be a mistake.

Definitely worried about that too, but I think he may stay. He hasn't shown enough as a pass rusher, imo, to go in the first. I think he'll grade out in the 3rd round in a fairly strong interior DL class, and that'll convince him to come back.

First of all, I am a huge Reggie Ragland fan. Bob Jones in the house. I know his brother a little. I probably have more love for the guy than just about any1 on this board. Having said all that, I don't see him drafted top 15. He is an amazing talent. He has the ability to be a pro bowler at the next level. It's not a knock on him by any stretch. Cj Mosley didn't got top 15. So I don't expect any Mike LB prospect going top 15. He could improve his draft stock to be a first round pick with another year. But it's possible that may be a bad thing. Another year he is in he pros is another year he approaches that second contract. If he decides to get paid I fully support him. Also, if he is a first round pick, the team can sign him to a longer rookie deal (I think) which further delays the second contract.