Crimson Red Sports

One and a half years later, that's what Belue, who is officially listed as a junior with two years of eligibility remaining, is doing right now as a new member of Alabama's reloaded secondary.

And he's doing it well.

With Smither in attendance, Belue made a good first impression in Alabama's first scrimmage of the spring, intercepting an AJ McCarron pass near the goal line and running it back 97 yards for a touchdown. The lesser hyped of Alabama's two junior-college transfer defensive backs -- Travell Dixon being the other -- Belue has quickly solidified himself as a legitimate option to fill one of the spots voided by NFL-bound Dre Kirkpatrick and DeQuan Menzie."He certainly has matured in terms of his junior college experience," Saban said of Belue, who is also in the mix to return punts. "He has done a nice job of developing this spring. He's a really good man-to-man cover guy. At times, he gets a little bit unsure of himself in terms of what he's supposed to do.

"I think he's definitely going to be a player that contributes and has the potential to be a starter on our team next year."