Dont'a Hightower Class: Sophomore Hometown: Lewisburg, Tenn. High School: Marshall County Height / Weight: 6-4 / 250 Position: Linebacker Experience: 1L

Career Stats

OUTLOOK: Dont'a Hightower emerged as one of the stars of the 2008 freshman class ... a physically imposing linebacker with great speed and a nose for the football ... earned first-team Freshman All-America honors by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and was a second-team Freshman All-American by Sporting News ... earned Freshman All-SEC recognition by Southeastern Conference coaches ... made 12 starts at will linebacker while playing in all 14 games as a true freshman ... is one of 11 true freshmen to start a season opener since 1972 and one of 16 true freshmen on the 2008 team to see playing time ... has 64 career tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss and six quarterback hurries ... selected for the team's Defensive Achievement Award, which goes to the underclassman who has played a critical role in the effectiveness of his unit ... stepped up his play during spring practice in 2009 by adding the jack linebacker position to his arsenal and providing the Tide with a more effective third down pass rush ... recorded 18 tackles in three spring scrimmages with three tackles for loss and two sacks ... won the Lee Roy Jordan Headhunter Award during spring practice in 2009.

2008 (FRESHMAN): Hightower was one of two true freshmen to be regular starter for the Crimson Tide in 2008 ... the freshman started 12 games while playing in all 14 ... a Freshman All-American by the FWAA at linebacker ... second-team Freshman All-American by Sporting News ... also a midseason Freshman All-America selection by Rivals.com ... a Freshman All-SEC selection by league coaches ... finished with 64 tackles - 26 solos - to rank fourth on the team ... also had one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries ... had at least one tackle in each game and had five or more stops in seven of 14 games, including 10 against Tulane and a career-high 11 at LSU ... recorded six quarterback hurries. Clemson: Hightower started at will linebacker and made one solo tackle ... also recovered a fumble on his first series at linebacker. Tulane: He notched the first double-digit tackle game of his young career with 10 total stops and five solo tackles against the Green Wave ... also forced a Tulane fumble. Western Kentucky: Hightower's playing time was reduced as the Crimson Tide spent much of the game in nickel and dime defensive packages ... made one tackle against the Hilltoppers. Arkansas: He notched five total tackles with two solo stops in the Tide's 49-14 win over the Razorbacks. Georgia: Hightower made two assisted tackles against the No. 3 Bulldogs ... also picked up an A.J. Green fumble out of midair and returned it eight yards to setup a second quarter Crimson Tide touchdown ... helped the Tide defense hold Georgia to just 50 yards rushing. Kentucky: He registered five tackles with two solo stops as Alabama surrendered just 35 yards rushing on 20 attempts ... Hightower also had one quarterback hurry that forced one of 22 incompletions from Wildcats' quarterback Mike Hartline. Mississippi: Hightower was second on the team with six tackles as the Tide posted a 24-20 win over the Rebels. Tennessee: He led the team with seven tackles, including three solo stops ... had one tackle for loss (-4) ... helped the Crimson Tide hold the Volunteers to just 36 yards rushing, the fifth team this season to have 50 or less rushing yards. Arkansas State: Hightower logged five total tackles with three solo stops in a 35-0 shutout of the Red Wolves ... helped limit ASU to just 158 yards of total offense. LSU: He recorded a career-best 11 tackles, including two solo stops ... also made a career-best 1.5 TFL (-2) ... his 11 tackles were the most for either team. Mississippi State: Hightower made two tackles with one solo stop in the Crimson Tide's 32-7 win over Mississippi State ... he helped the Tide defense limit the Bulldogs to just 35 yards rushing and 167 total yards. Auburn: He notched four assisted tackles against the Tigers ... aided the Tide defense in holding Auburn to just 57 rushing yards, including just eight yards on the ground in the second half. Florida: Hightower made three solo tackles against the No. 2 Gators ... helped limit UF to almost 100 yards below their season average for total yards ... had one of three quarterback hurries on UF signal-caller Tim Tebow. Sugar Bowl vs. Utah: He did not start as the Crimson Tide opened in a dime defense ... registered two solo tackles and logged one quarterback hurry ... saw action at both weak-side linebacker and jack linebacker.

HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: He was named the state's defensive MVP by The Tennessean ... listed on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Super Southern 100 ... earned a four-star rating from Rivals.com and Scout.com ... was Class 3A Mr. Football in Tennessee and voted first-team Tennessee Sports Writers Association All-State ... the No. 2 player in the state of Tennessee according to SuperPrep Magazine ... member of The Tennessean's Dream Team ... selected to play in the U.S. Army East-West All-Star game in San Antonio ... the state of Tennessee's No. 3 overall player according to Rivals.com ... Rivals.com's No. 15 inside linebacker in the country ... listed as the No. 39 player overall in The Mobile Press-Register's Super Southeast 120 ... No. 95 player on the Scout.com Southeast 150 list ... recorded 168 tackles (14 for loss), five forced fumbles, five interceptions and four fumble recoveries as a senior ... also had 875 yards and 19 touchdowns on offense.