Cody, who was the Crimson Tide's All-American nose tackle the past two seasons and second round pick of the Baltimore Ravens, has left a hole in the middle of the Tide’s National Championship defense. Not just any hole, try a 6-foot-5, 350 pound hole.
Filling that important gap for Alabama’s 3-4 defense this season is junior tackle Josh Chapman, who recorded three tackles in Alabama’s first win of 2010 over San Jose State. Filling the hole for the future of the defense took a little searching down under.
It took just one official visit, and one day on that visit, for defensive tackle Jesse Williams to make his announcement to the University of Alabama. Williams, a 
four star junior college prospect of Arizona Western, made his commitment to the Tide Friday Sept. 3, the day before Alabama’s first game.
He stands out as one of the country’s most intriguing prospects this season, not because he measures in at 6-foot-4, 330-pounds, or because he benches over 500 pounds, but because Williams hails from Brisbane, Australia.
A basketball and rugby player growing up, Williams didn’t start playing football until his mid-teens. The switch was a success, as Williams began to play for Australia’s national football team and later was named MVP of Australia’s National Football Tournament, the same place Arizona Western coaches noticed him.
This year, as a member of Arizona Western’s junior college team, Williams competed with the World Team against Team USA in the Football World Championships.
Since then, the offers have been ringing in to the mammoth defensive tackle, who sits with 25+ offers on the table. At this point, however, Alabama may be the only one that matters.
The Tide were his second FBS scholarship offer. When he received the phone call from Alabama head coach Nick Saban, Williams thought it was a joke. It turned out to be no joking matter, though.
During Williams’ first official visit to a college last weekend, he jumped at the opportunity of playing in Tuscaloosa, giving the Tide his verbal commitment , as recruits cannot sign with a school until the first week of February.
Whether or not Williams’s steps into the nose tackle position next spring making the immediate impact past junior college transfer Terrence Cody made, remains to be seen. One thing is certain, however, Williams looks like one bloody good mate for the job.
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