40 Days Away from Bama Kickoff: Baron Huber
Each day counting down to Alabama's Week 1 matchup with Utah State, I will highlight one former player whose jersey number coincides with the amount of days until the game. The Crimson Tide takes the field in just 40 days, so let's look at the career of former Alabama fullback Baron Huber.
Baron Huber suited up for the Crimson Tide as a fullback from 2006-09 and played a key role in the beginning of the Nick Saban era.
A native of Knoxville, TN, Huber revealed to the Montgomery Advisor in 2014 that he actually grew up a Volunteers fan.
“I grew up playing in the backyard and I was Jay Graham or Joey Kent or Peyton Manning," Huber said, "I wasn’t Jay Barker or Derrick Lassic. People knowing how big a Tennessee fan I was, going to Alabama, they were like, ‘I can’t believe you’re doing this.'"
Huber played several different positions throughout high school, lining up at defensive end in his junior season, and then linebacker and running back as a senior. In his final year at Powell High School, the senior compiled an impressive 120 tackles, six forced fumbles and five touchdowns.
Huber was the eleventh ranked player in the state of Tennessee in 2005, but did not receive any interest from his hometown school, so the two-star prospect rolled with the Crimson Tide.
As a freshman, the linebacker made the move to fullback, but did not see the field much. Alabama finished the year 6-7, and head coach Mike Shula was fired.
Saban took over as head coach for Huber's sophomore season, and instantly a shift within the program was felt. The former fullback described the coach's arrival to the Montgomery Advisor, saying, "Nick Saban’s very first meeting with us, he told us that 'I realize I didn’t recruit you guys and you didn’t ask me to be here, but we’ve got to pull together.'"
Though it took time, the team ultimately pulled together in Huber's final season. The senior fullback helped pave the way to a 14-0 record, culminating with an emphatic win over the Texas Longhorns in the National Championship.
Salute this Alabama legend and stay locked in to Tide1009.com for the countdown to Alabama football. Check out the rest of the list here.