There was no slash next to his name. No “or” either. On the first edition of Alabama’s 2019 depth chart, Christian Harris was alone atop his position, a stunning development that was even more jaw-dropping given that 2018 Biletnikoff winner Jerry Jeudy couldn’t even make that claim and had to share space with fellow receiver Jaylen Waddle on the same white sheet of paper.

Exactly 90 days after he enrolled in late May, Harris is now slated to start at Will — or weakside — linebacker in the Crimson Tide’s season opener against Duke on Saturday.

“He’s shocked me because he just got here like a couple months ago,” said Dylan Moses, who will play beside him in the middle of Alabama’s defense.

It’s been a meteoric rise for Harris, a former four-star prospect. A confluence of factors led him here. There was the early departure of Mack Wilson, who left to pursue an NFL career in January and created a void next to Moses. Then Joshua McMillon, a redshirt senior and a projected starter, suffered a serious knee injury earlier this month and further depleted a position group that lacked real-game experience.

All of a sudden, Harris was thrust to the fore.

“Sometimes you have to make decisions with young players even though they may not have the total understanding of doing everything exactly like you’d like for them to do it,” Saban said. “Their ability to make plays and their sort of want-to in terms of learning how to do it and developing is going to allow them to make the improvement they need to make to be the most consistent player. We just felt like after two scrimmages the way he played that he was the guy that would give us the best chance long term to develop at that position.”

The move would seem to invite risk because of the coverage responsibilities associated with the role Harris will fill. But it’s not unprecedented. Rolando McClain and Dont’a Hightower started at inside linebacker as freshmen. And Moses has been impressed with Harris’ grasp of the Tide’s complex system, noting that there are “some slight things he needs to work on, as far as technique.”

“But other than that,” Moses added, “he’ll be fine.”

If Moses seemed nonchalant, it’s because he was…in that moment.

He knows the magnitude of the task Harris has been given, acknowledging as much a few minutes later.

“He’s, like, getting thrown into it,” Moses explained. “So, I just try and tell him, ‘Just do your job, and I’ve got you. I’m going to tell you what you need to do when we’re out there, and just play fast.’”

Whether Harris has heeded that advice is uncertain. He’s not allowed to speak to reporters because of a longstanding policy within the program that prohibits true freshmen from addressing the media during the regular season.

Yet Harris will have plenty of opportunities to make his presence felt.

Saban noted that Harris is “a very aggressive player.” And there is hope among Alabama staffers that Harris’ experience as a defensive back in high school will translate at this level, allowing him to track receivers and close up zones.

It will be just one part of a crucial job Harris has been given at the outset of his career.

“He wasn’t even expecting it,” Moses said. “He was just playing fast and doing what he usually did, doing what got him recruited and caught the eye of the coaches.”

Rainer Sabin is an Alabama beat writer for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @RainerSabin