Cory Reamer - #13 - LB - 6-4 - 223 - Hoover, AL - Hoover Hight - No Varsity Letters

Cory is one of several Bama players in the process of learning a new position. After starting his career at safety, and spending most of the last 2 years in limbo between the secondary and the front seven, Cory is now moving between the Will and Sam linebacker positions.

His career at safety seemed promising early during the 2005 season, but because of seniors Charlie Peprah and Roman Harper, Cory was only seeing time on special teams. He was showing a great ability to be a hard hitter in both games and practices, but more importantly the coaches were thrilled with Cory’s play recognition and discipline within his assignments – something crucial for the safety position.

His career in the secondary ended during Bama’s blowout win against Florida, however when he suffered a major knee injury. Or at least the secondary part of his career should have ended. Had a definitive decision been made in the spring of 2006 to move Reamer to linebacker, he’d likely be up to around 240 lbs at this point, much better sized for a linebacker in Saban’s 3-4 defense.

Instead he was jockeyed back and forth between the two positions, never able to be confident in whether he should gain or lose weight. That decision has been made now, and Cory will spend the off season attempting to gain enough weight to play the linebacker position, where Alabama is frighteningly thin on players.

2008 Prospectus: Whether he can put on the weight to play linebacker and still maintain his mobility will be a key question for the summer for Bama. Any help at either the Will or Sam positions is a bonus, and Cory is a solid enough tackler that he can provide depth at possibly both positions.

He’ll likely start out as Chavis Williams’ backup at the Sam, assuming that Zeke Knight is not cleared to return to action. With talented newcomer Jerrell Harris expected to push for immediate playing time, I would not be surprised to see him back at the Will position that he began the spring at. If Prince Hall returns in the fall from his suspension, then there may be simply nowhere for Cory to play.

He’s well liked by the coaches, and I expect that he’ll have a role, even if it is a situational one, where he is used primarily as a pass-defender, in an attempt to capitalize on his DB experience. He may out-grow his previous role on special teams with the additional weight that he puts on for linebacker

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