ORLANDO, Fla. — Aaron Sutton is excited, and he believes Alabama fans should be as well. The Louisiana high school football assistant coach has been working with Crimson Tide outside linebacker Christopher Allen for more than a decade now, following the former four-star recruit’s progression from pee-wee ball to the collegiate level. Sutton served as Allen’s position coach at Southern Lab in Baton Rouge, La., where the two won a pair of state titles over three championship game appearances. He watched as the then-defensive lineman earned Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 1A Defensive MVP honors his senior season in 2016, piling up 82 tackles including 14 stops for a loss and six sacks. For the past three years, Sutton has waited patiently for his protégé to get the chance to deliver that type of production at the college level. That opportunity figures to finally arise Wednesday when Allen could earn his first career start against Michigan during the Citrus Bowl as he is set to replace Terrell Lewis, who elected to sit out the game. “He has a true high motor,” Sutton said of Allen. “The kid can make plays. He’s a game-changer when he’s 100 percent healthy. That’s something to get excited about. He’s a guy who his first step is unmatched as far as I’ve seen.”

Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Christopher Allen could make his first start in the Citrus Bowl. Photo | Getty Images

Allen came to Alabama as the No. 14 outside linebacker and No. 9 player in Louisiana in the 2017 class. Since then, his playing time has been slowed by both a stacked outside linebacking unit as well as a season-ending injury. After appearing in seven games as a freshman in 2017, Allen generated plenty of buzz during the following spring as he was viewed as one of the Crimson Tide’s most promising pass-rushers coming out of camp. However, a torn ACL during fall camp shut down his potential breakout year before it started. According to Sutton, that was a trying time for his former star defender. Sutton, who now coaches defensive line at Baton Rouge’s Madison Prep, still talks with Allen weekly, FaceTiming him to break down film and critique technique. During Allen’s time on the injury table, the former coach took on the role of a motivator, reminding the young linebacker to keep up his work ethic off the field and focus on improving anyway he can. “That’s kind of been where I’ve tried to be that support system and motivator for him,” Sutton said. “I told him, ‘Hey man, these are the breaks that may come, but you’ve got to continue to endure through the storm because on the other side of the storm is the sunshiney day where people will be praising your efforts and what you’ve done for the team. He’s had a few roller-coasters, but he’s handled it well.”

Allen took that advice to heart, dedicating himself to the mental side of the game during his time on the injury table. The results have been dramatic as Sutton described his weekly conversations as “night and day” in terms of Allen’s understanding of the complexities of the position. “He’s pretty much obsessed,” Sutton said. “Everything that he regurgitates back is strictly football. He was a great mind in high school, but it was still some non-football talk he communicated back. Now he understands leverage and how to use it on the field and how to communicate it back when we are breaking down film. All the terminology that was kind of vague back then is really improving in his communication.”

Sutton isn’t the only one who notices a difference. Sunday, Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding called Allen a “smart player,” pointing out his improvements under outside linebackers coach Sal Sunseri. Serving as a backup to Lewis at Sam linebacker this season, Allen has recorded 3.5 tackles for a loss and .5 sacks with a pair of quarterback hurries. “He understands the system,” Golding said. “Obviously, he'll have an opportunity in this game to be able to showcase that a little more. But we're extremely excited about his potential. Coach Sal, you know, does a good job with him. I think the kid understands the system, understands what we're asking him to do. So he's developed. He's come a long way. So I think he'll play well.” Added redshirt senior linebacker Anfernee Jennings: “He’s really a freak athlete, honestly. But he’s coming along with it mentally. So with his physical build and him getting it mentally, the sky’s the limit for him.” Listed at 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, Allen is similar to Jennings (6-foot-3, 259 pounds) both in terms of build and playing style. Both defenders move well for their size and excel at setting the edge in the running game. Jennings said he’s happy with the comparison and hopes to pass on the torch to his younger teammate for years to come. “Chris has stepped up, and he’s embraced the challenge,” Jennings said. “He’s worked hard, so I’m looking forward to seeing him play in a game and looking forward to seeing him play in the future.” Allen and Jennings have lined up as the starting linebackers out of Alabama’s base set during practice and should be influential in stopping a Michigan offense which features play-making quarterback Shea Patterson. Last week, Alabama head coach Nick Saban expressed confidence in Allen, stating he had done a nice job during drills. “He’s certainly taking the opportunity seriously and really working at trying to do the things that he needs to do to play well in the game, and I’ve been really, really pleased with what he’s done so far in this bowl practice,” Saban said. “And I think this is a good opportunity for him and will be interesting to see how well he goes out there and plays. But we think he’s capable and we have a lot of confidence in him and we’re looking forward to him taking advantage of this opportunity.” After a long wait, that sentiment is certainly shared by Allen’s supporters back home in Baton Rouge as well. “I told him not to be overzealous but that when you get this kind of opportunity, you’ve got to make sure you make it count,” Sutton said. “This is one of those things coming up soon where he will get that opportunity. That’s what we’ve been focusing on: ‘You’ve been here before. You understand adversity. Now here’s your opportunity — take it.’”

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Andrew Bone, of BamaInsider.com, is a real estate broker in the state of Alabama.

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