Alabama Football Signs Three Players to National Letters of Intent
12/17/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 17, 2010
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban announced that three junior college players have signed national letters of intent on Friday to play football with the Crimson Tide beginning in the 2011 season.
The group includes two players from Arizona Western Junior College - Aaron Douglas and Jesse Williams - and former Crimson Tide signee Quinton Dial from East Mississippi Community College. They will begin classes at the Capstone in January and will be eligible to participate in spring practice with the Crimson Tide. All three players were ranked in the Rivals.com 2011 JUCO Top 50.
Williams is the top-rated junior college player in the nation. He is a 6-4, 330-pound defensive lineman who hails from Brisbane, Australia. Williams anchored a defensive line that surrendered just 48.64 rushing yards per game to rank second in the NJCAA in 2010. He recorded 30 tackles in seven games with six tackles for loss (-29 yards) and two sacks (-12 yards). Williams also deflected two passes and recorded one interception. As a freshman, Williams made 46 tackles in 11 games with seven tackles for loss and four sacks.
Williams grew up playing rugby and basketball in Australia before taking up football at the age of 14. He quickly took to the game while attending Cavendish Road State High School and playing for the Bayside Ravens and Queensland Sun Devils. At Arizona Western, he was a two-time All-Region I selection and named to the All-Western States team.
Douglas, who was a freshman All-American at Tennessee in 2009, spent one season at Western Arizona in 2010, earning NJCAA All-America honors. He helped clear a path for his team to rank fifth nationally, averaging 243 rushing yards per game and fifth in total offense at 427.5 yards per game. He earned second-team NJCAA All-America honors and was a first-team All-Western States League selection. Douglas is ranked 30th nationally in the Rivals.com JUCO Top 50.
As a freshman at Tennessee, he moved from tight end to tackle in fall camp and earned a starting spot by the fourth game of the season. He started nine games and was a Freshman All-American and Freshman All-SEC selection. His father, David, was an offensive lineman at Tennessee and went on to play in the NFL, while his mother, Karla, started three seasons for the Lady Vols basketball team and contributed to Pat Summitt's first national title team.
Dial originally signed with the Crimson Tide out of Clay-Chalkville High School in 2008 and has excelled during his time at East Mississippi Community College. He is ranked 14th in the Rivals.com 2011 JUCO Top 50. Dial was a two-year defensive standout at the nose guard position for head coach Buddy Stephens at East Mississippi Community College and member of back-to-back state playoff teams (11-1 in 2009 & 5-5 in 2010) at EMCC. He was named to the second-team NJCAA All-American in 2010 as well as earning NJCAA All-Region 23 and MACJC All-North Division honors this past season.
Dial ranked as the Lions' third-leading tackler in 2010 with 76 total stops (46 solos and 30 assists), including 3.5 sacks (-19 yards) and four tackles for loss (-6 yards). Out of high school, Dial was a member of the Alabama Sports Writers Association's Super 12 team and a first-team All-State selection by the ASWA. He was the ASWA's 6A Defensive Lineman of the Year and ranked by Rivals.com as the nation's 33rd ranked defensive tackle.
