I’ve been thinking. With all the excitement surrounding the upcoming A-Day game this Saturday, it seems like a lot of the fans have hyped up the players as much as they can. Not to say there’s anything wrong with that, but it seems like some of these players have been elevated to an almost superhero status. Actually, now that I think about it, that sounds like an interesting question. If the players on the football team were actually a collection of superheroes, who would they be? I wonder what that would look like…?

Nick Saban: Professor X

I know he’s not a player, but as the leader of the X-Men … I mean, uh, the Crimson Tide, Saban is responsible for the training of each of his players and coming up with a plan of action for the games. More importantly, Saban acts as a general on the field, making sure all his players are in the right place at the right time and working together as a team so they can complete their mission successfully … I mean, win the game.

Jalston Fowler: Juggernaut

This one’s a no-brainer. At 6-foot-1, 242 pounds, there’s not a player on the offense who packs more of a punch than Fowler. Senior guard Chance Warmack has been quoted as saying that once Fowler hits a hole, he’s going to hit it as hard as he can, regardless of who’s there — defender or teammate. Better get out of his way.

AJ McCarron: Cyclops

I know this might be a tad cliché, but the Tide is going to need McCarron to take charge of the offense next year. And whom else would you want to trust if not Cyclops? Cool, levelheaded and ready for anything, Cyclops embodies everything the Tide is going to need McCarron to be next year. McCarron’s also going to need laser vision next year to make sure he makes those pinpoint-accurate throws.

Eddie Lacy: Nightcrawler

Of all the superheroes out there that Eddie Lacy could be, none fits the bill better than Nightcrawler. He can disappear and reappear in an instant, basically making any attacks against him useless. Conversely, many defenders have missed a sure tackle on Lacy because he disappeared, only to reappear behind them en route to a first down. If you slow down the game tape, you can actually see that Lacy just pulls a killer spin move from out of nowhere, making it look like he disappeared. But he still makes defenders look silly.

Jesse Williams: The Beast

Jesse Williams is a beast (pun intended). At 6-foot-4, 320 pounds, he’s going to be an absolute force on the interior of the D-line next year, where his size should help him plug running lanes and eat double-teams. Still, despite his size, Williams has a quick first step and will be able to use his pass rushing ability to apply pressure to opposing quarterbacks. Much like the Beast, he’s able to use his size and speed to render any defense useless.

C.J. Mosley: Wolverine

Mosley is the type of guy who can work with teammates (which he does, often), but is also able to play independently. Drop him into coverage or let him gash O-lines to tackle the ball carrier, and you can pretty much let him do his own thing; he’ll bring you results. In that way, he’s like Wolverine, who often goes on solo missions and acts on his own for the better of his team. Also, Mosley has to have some sort of healing powers, because he suffered some pretty bad elbow and hip injuries last season, and he’s still coming back for more.