The progression of Terry Grant: If Daniel Ruettiger had been a running back

Lumberton High School running back Terry Grant made the toughest decision of his life Tuesday afternoon when he committed to Alabama choosing the Tide over Southern Miss. Grant, 5-foot-10, 180-pounds, is a member of the Rivals100 and was named Mississippi Mr. Football after rushing for 2,730 yards and 35 touchdowns as a senior.

--- Rivals.com

A highly-recruited prep from Lumberton High School ... came within two touchdowns of tying the Mississippi record for touchdowns, finishing with 113 in his career ... ran for 2,700 yards and 36 touchdowns as a senior en route to Mississippi Mr. Football accolades ... All-State honoree as a senior ... also played baseball and ran track ... National Honor Society member who graduated with honors ... full name is Terry O'Neal Grant

--- Rolltide.com

ESPN profiles had him listed as 5'11" 190lbs. in 2006, while our team roster for this year has him listed as 5'9".  Where did those extra two inches in height go this year?  Seems Terry has nearly lost an inch of height each year he has been on the team... I predict in 2010 he will be listed as a squatty 5'8" or 5' 7.5".

OUTLOOK: Terry Grant returns to the Crimson Tide offensive backfield for his junior campaign in 2009 ... an explosive running back with excellent pass catching skills out of the backfield ... is the 49th player in Alabama history to rush for 1,000 yards in his career ... now has 1,001 yards on 217 career carries ... has played in 28 career games, making nine starts ... tallied 891 yards and eight touchdowns as UA's starting running back as a redshirt freshman in 2007

2008 (SOPHOMORE): Grant rushed the ball 35 times for 88 yards in 2008 with one touchdown ... also a big contributor on special teams with three tackles, including two solo stops ... part-time starter at kickoff returner and had three returns for 17.3 yards per return

2007 (FRESHMAN): The team's leading rusher who started in nine of 13 games on the season ... had 180 carries for 891 yards on the season, both records for freshmen running backs at Alabama ... rushed for eight touchdowns, another UA freshman record, and scored nine touchdowns on the season .

2006 (REDSHIRT): Played in three games ... had two carries for 22 yards against Louisiana Monroe, including a 19-yard run ... missed the final nine games of the season with an injury and earned a medical redshirt year.

--- Rolltide.com

Last year's leading rusher by more than 300 yards, Grant has fallen this year to fourth in Alabama's tailback rotation, essentially through no fault of his own.

"This is a style thing with the three runners that we have right now that are all playing," Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said. "Most of the plays that we run are sort of direct runs. We're running downhill and the physical, square-to-the-line runners who can make the cuts are the guys that do that the best. It's just how we've evolved."

Grant has received 22 carries this year, as opposed to Glen Coffee (70), true freshman Mark Ingram (50) and Roy Upchurch (32). Of Grant's attempts, 10 came after the Arkansas result had long been decided. He didn't play offensively at Georgia.

"We're not disappointed in anybody else who's not playing as much," Saban said, "but their style lends itself to a different type of play. There might be a circumstance where that becomes something that we want to do in a game."

--- Mobile Press Register 9-30-08

Alabama junior tailback Terry Grant was catching passes with Tide wide receivers this afternoon, rather than performing drills with the running backs.  "Terry Grant has had a great fall camp," Saban said. "We need to get him more involved in the game, some kind of way. But Roy (Upchurch), Mark (Ingram) and Trent (Richardson) all have to be guys that can carry the ball for us. Terry Grant has to have a role on our team."

--- Gentry Estes, Mobile Press Register 9-07-09

"He's a coach's dream in terms of a guy that has the pride that you want in performance and does everything you want every day, and he has ability," Saban said. "He's just at a position where we have two or three other guys that play a lot. It's hard to play all those guys, so we're trying to make him sort of a dual-role guy."

--- Gentry Estes, AL.com 9-10-09

Speaking of his diminished role in 2008 Terry said,

"It took a whole year, honestly, to adjust to it. It is like you've been kicked off the face of the earth. ... But once you reset your mind and you realize that football is not everything and you make some adjustments, it's not hard to just figure, 'I'm not the face of this team. I'm just a part of it. And that's how I feel about it. I'd go out there and play offensive line if I could, just to help these guys win."

Saban said,

 "We want Terry to have success because he has certainly given his all to the team.  There is a sign downstairs that says 'Out of yourself and into the team.' For a guy that was a star player a couple of years ago and has had a minimized role in the last year and a couple of games that started out due to injury, he has been as positive a force with his teammates and also in terms of his own attitude. So we keep trying to develop him a role at receiver. ... It's nice to have a guy that has enough, sort of experience, knowledge, resource of information, to be able to do a little bit of both (positions) and still be effective."

--- Gentry Estes, Mobile Press Register 9-16-09

Our Corp of Running Backs (not necessarily in actual depth chart order)

* I starred the speeds that I think are out of ordinary.  I got these 40 yard dash times from Rivals.com.  Anyone have access to current 40 times for an update?  This is what they were listed as in High School.  Maze and Grant are said to be the two fastest people on the team. 

While doing this research I found out that our 2010 RB commit Corey Grant has been timed at 4.27 in the 40!  I imagine he might be the new fastest guy on the team next year.

http://www2.dothaneagle.com/dea/sports/college/alabama/article/opelika_running_back_commits_to_alabama/84639/

heck, Darren McFadden only ran a measly 4.33 in the 40 out of High School.

http://rivals100.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=376631

As we can see from the table above, yes it's true.  Terry O'Neal Grant has some much bigger, heavier guys on the team to compete with.  The Tide has swelled up mightily from the team it was in 2007, when he was the leading rusher.  No one doubts his ability to run the ball and to be a great back.  He even has an Irish middle name.  Likewise, Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger was a mere 5'7" and 165 lbs., had the heart of a lion, and the persistence of a true champion.  Rudy only got to play two snaps his entire collegiate career at Notre Dame, but his career is what dreams and eventually lucrative movies deals are made of.  Mr. Grant I hope that during your tenure the Alabama Crimson Tide is able to put National Championship rings on their fingers.  And when you put yours on, do it knowing full well that you deserve it and earned it; even if you didn't tote the rock as much as your debut year.  You are a fan favorite, and your coaches believe in you.  Thank you for remaining at Alabama when so many titty-baby athletes transfer due to competition (Robert Marve), lack of playing time (Emmanuel Moody), grievances which a new coaching staff (like Mitch Mustain now buried so deep in USC's depth chart that he's fossilized), or bad attitudes (Ryan Perrilloux).  Dedication will always be a reward that keeps on giving!