TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Over the 17 years that Nick Saban coached the Alabama football dynasty, he had at least one consensus or unanimous All-American player at eac
h every-down position, minus one. But he did have a first-round selection in the NFL draft at that position, a player who came through in a big way during back-to-back national championship games.
Howard was considered a natural receiver, showed no lack of toughness over the middle, and could line up anywhere and exploit mismatches. He’s a nightmare to cover, especially for a linebacker. That he only saw 59 pass attempts for 45 receptions as a senior was more of a reflection on the play-calling, again, although he did have another big game in the national championship with four catches for 106 yards including a 68-yard touchdown.
• Over two season was credited with 108 career tackles, including 7.5 for a loss and one sack, 26 passes defended and six interceptions • Was four catches shy of 100 during 2021 season when suffering a knee injury in SEC Championship Game. Had six receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown when the injury occurred just before halftime• 2015 second-team All-American• Has Alabama record for career interception return yards with 303 on nine picks.
• Averaged 17.5 yards per catch across his three seasons, good for sixth on the UA career list • Finished Crimson Tide career with 98 receptions for 1,716 yards, and 24 receiving touchdowns• No. 19-overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft Alabama kicker Will Reichard makes a field goal late in the fourth quarter to beat Texas at Darrell K Royal/Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday September 10, 2022. / Jay Janner/American-Statesman / USAIt was a play that seemed almost tailor-made for Alabama safety Eddie Jackson, right down to the seams.
He also had a pickoff in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Clemson, which helped him land defensive MVP honors. It was a nice way to cap his first season at safety after initially being a cornerback. Jackson ended up starting four games at cornerback as a true freshman, but en route to taking over as a starter the next spring suffered a torn ACL. Not backing down from the injury and taking a redshirt, Jackson played in the season opener against FAU and went on to make 10 more starts.
The only concern was how well the converted corners would hold up while playing the more physically demanding positionsStatistically, Jackson’s six picks led the SEC and his 230 return yards shattered the school record of 163 set by Hootie Ingram in 1952.
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