TUSCALOOSA -- When Courtney Upshaw flexes a massive bicep, plants a fist firmly in the grass, crouches and digs his cleats in the ground, you'd swear you can hear him snort and grunt.

When he uncoils in a blur and blows past an offensive tackle, you'd swear you can see him breathing fire.

When he jars a quarterback's bones with a blind-side hit, you'd swear you can feel the fury.

"He's just a beast," defensive back Will Lowery said.

This is the ultimate weapon on the Alabama football team. Running back Trent Richardson is strong and powerful and fast, too, but defense will carry the Crimson Tide in 2011, and Upshaw is capable of carrying the defense.

"There's not many guys that have the size and explosion that he has," Lowery said. "... He's really learned when he turns the motor on, he's hard to block. That's what Marcell (Dareus) realized last year. Courtney's realized that, and he's turned it up a notch."

Upshaw technically is a Jack linebacker in Alabama's 4-3 defense, but you could call him a defensive end. Or a wrecking ball.

The 6-foot-2, 265-pound senior from Eufaula was slowed most of the 2010 season by a high ankle sprain that he suffered in the season opener, but he sometimes showed flashes of becoming the reincarnation of Derrick Thomas. Upshaw had four tackles for a loss against Florida and ended the season with three sacks against Auburn and two against Michigan State. He also forced a fumble and was named the MVP of the Capital One Bowl.

"I don't see a way to block him," Alabama senior inside linebacker Dont'a Hightower said. "You slide him or you double-team him, but he'll find a way to get to the ball."

As he has worked lately at left tackle, star junior Barrett Jones has had to try to block Upshaw in practice.

"It's a challenge," Jones said. "The best rushers in any league are guys who can beat you with speed and power. The thing about Courtney is he is the perfect hybrid of speed and power.

"He's so fast off the edge and he can beat you with a speed rush. But the second you kind of soft-set him so you set back and handle that speed rush, he'll just run right over you."

Upshaw measures his words carefully when asked about his own expectations.

"I'd say my confidence level is higher than usual," he said. "My expectation for myself is just to go out and compete."

The key is staying healthy. Upshaw played in pain last season, and it pained him mentally to be unable to push hard off of a tender ankle.

Now he sounds ready to wreak complete havoc.

"I just tell myself, self-talk motivation and what not, that I can do it," he said. "The coaches here have given me an opportunity and put me in a position where I can do it and I just have to go out and prove it."

Alabama coach Nick Saban was asked recently what teammates mean when they call Upshaw a beast.

"Courtney has always been a good football player, but sometimes there was a little bit of hesitation in terms of going all out and throwing it all in all the time," Saban said. "He's all in all the time. He gives tremendous effort on every play. He has trained himself, conditioned himself to be able to sustain that way."

Saban was just warming up with the high praise.

"Not only does he have really good physical ability, he is just relentless as a competitor.

That's one of the great things about most good pass rushers: They have that kind of relentless attitude about trying to get to the quarterback, and he is one of the most relentless guys we have on our team."

So what is Upshaw capable of accomplishing this season?

"Anything he wants to do," Lowery said.

Lowery was asked what Upshaw is like off the field. Is he a split personality?

"I don't know if I'd say he's gentle off the field," Lowery said. "He's a pretty intense guy."

Join the conversation by clicking to comment or email Kausler at dkausler@bhamnews.com.

