Written by Ell
| 12 July 2008
Terrence Cody - #96 - DT - 6-5 - 395 lbs. - Perkinston, MS - Gulf Coast CC - Transfer
I put Terrence last among the Juniors because he does not officially become a member of the Alabama football team until the official roster is released at the beginning of fall camp. Because of this, he has not yet been assigned a number. I listed him as #96 because that is the number that he has reportedly asked for, and given his abnormally large size, I would image that he gets most things he wants.
He has, according to reports, already lost 15-20 lbs, and is attempting to lose another 20-30. Other reports have indicated that despite his size, he has had no trouble completing his summer workouts. It is possible that he will be one of those rare football players that can play at an enormous size. If he can maintain his conditioning, at whatever weight, he should be a key player for the defensive line in 2008.
2008 Prospectus: Terrence is an enormous human being who will absolutely require a double team from the offensive line in front of him. That is the job of the nose guard in Nick Saban's defense. Sure, you love it if the nose guard can fight through the double team and still make plays, but that type of talent is very rare. What you need is for that guy to take up 2 interior blockers, which frees things up for the ends and linebackers.
He still has to demonstrate the ability to learn the defense and execute at the collegiate level, though the jump from Junior College is much easier to make quickly than the jump from High School. He is already physically ready to play from a strength standpoint. The thing that jumps out at most people on video is the quickness that he displays at his size.
A lot of folks have already written Terrence off as a situational player; a guy who will play on 3rd and short and in goal line situations. If Bama can continue to get development from the other defensive lineman, especially Lorenzo Washington, Josh Chapman and Alfred McCullough (though McCullough worked at DE in the spring) then there can be a real rotation at the NG position, meaning all of the guys can be used "situationally" to what best fits their skill set. That will also make it possible for Washington to possibly make the move to DE, where he can be more of a play-maker.
Regardless, I expect we'll see Terrence on the field a lot in 2008. Considering how talented Clemson's rushing attack is, he could be a critical player for Bama in its first game of the season. Given Bama's lack of a "true nose guard", if he is well conditioned, then he'll likely be a major player on the defense - possibly even starting by mid-season.
