Alabama linebacker makes huge decision about football future

Chris Allen didn’t play much this year for Alabama due to an injury. But the fifth-year senior made a huge decision Wednesday night.

He’s heading to the NFL.

Allen is signing with Priority Sports and will test the NFL Draft waters, the agency announced.

In three full seasons with the Crimson Tide, Allen had 54 tackles — including 18.5 tackles for loss — and 6.5 sacks. His best year came in 2020 when he had 37 tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks as Alabama won the national championship.

He suffered a foot injury during the season opener against Miami this season and didn’t play at all after that. In that game, he had three tackles as the Crimson Tide defeated the Hurricanes 44-13.

No. 1 Alabama is coming off a national title loss to No. 3 Georgia earlier this week. The Crimson Tide had a 9-6 lead at halftime, but eventually fell 33-18.

Veteran Alabama cornerback Josh Jobe makes major decision on future

According to Matt Zenitz of On3, Alabama Crimson Tide cornerback Josh Jobe will be heading to the NFL instead of returning to school for another season. Jobe dealt with a toe injury all season and eventually got surgery on it, ending his season. However, the cornerback is still viewed as a potential Day 2 pick.

Jobe had the opportunity to turn pro after the 2020 season but decided he needed one more year in Tuscaloosa to improve his draft stock. Staying in school was still an option due to the free COVID-19 eligibility rule and would have been Jobe’s fifth year in school.

The cornerback suffered his toe injury during the SEC championship, causing him to miss both the Cotton Bowl against Cincinnati and the national championship against Georgia.

During his four seasons in Tuscaloosa, Jobe appeared in 51 games and recorded 129 tackles, 3.5 of which were for a loss. In pass coverage, he had 22 passes defended and three career interceptions. Jobe was also able to force two fumbles and recover another one.

Jobe will be just the latest Alabama defensive back to make the jump to the NFL. Over the past two seasons, Trevon Diggs was drafted in the second round by the Dallas Cowboys while Patrick Surtain was a top 10 pick by the Denver Broncos in the 2021 NFL draft.

Coming out of high school, Jobe was a four-star prospect according to the On3 Consensus. He was the No. 1 player to come out of his home state of Connecticut and the No. 16 cornerback in the country.