Bama’s LB room just keeps winning. Ranked 10th in yards per play defensively in his first year as a defensive coordinator, Kane Wommack has to feel pretty good about where it sits. Replacing Jihaad Campbell and Malachi Moore was never going to be easy, but eight starters return from last season, including six who deferred declaring for the NFL Draft. But far from Tuscaloosa, here’s a parallel story that is unfolding in a training facility, one that runs close to the heart of what makes this next Tide defense potentially elite. It was a part reunion, part reawakening that was reminiscent of what even led the likes of DC Robert Livingston to title them as ‘enforcers of Colorado’s defense’ just last season.

Looking back at Nikhai Hill-Green’s hot form in Boulder, it’s evident why Biff Poggi insisted Hill-Green was a natural fit. They go way back, and having trained him for three years in Baltimore before coaching him for another season while serving as an assistant to Jim Harbaugh in Michigan, Poggi said: “He’s a guy that I know and I trust. When you’re trying to build something, he’s a good person to have.” Truer words have not been spoken before. Boulder needed exactly someone like him, only Hill-Green here had a shot in the arm right from the first day he landed in Folsom Field.

That’s fellow LB LaVonta Bentley for you. In fact, after Buffs’ impressive 49-24 victory over Utah, Hill-Green and Bentley sat next to each other at the presser. When asked about how they complement each other, Bentley would go on to say, “I mean, we feed off of each other. We, the oldest linebackers in the room. We know what it looks like and what it takes… As we go, we gotta hold ourselves to a standard.” Hill-Green nodded all along. And the stats back them up. Not only did the team’s defense enjoy a resurgence after a rough 2023, but Hill-Green, now a graduate student with Alabama, saw him finish his season second on the Buffs team in total tackles (82) and tackles for loss (11.5). As for Bentley, he finished with 55 total tackles (34 solo), four TFLs, and two fumble recoveries. And now, nearly five months after Nikhai’s transfer portal update, Hill-Green and Bentley were seen together. And it was more than just old friends catching up!

It was two high-powered defensive weapons sharpening, quietly setting the tone for what’s to come, and like Bentley would phrase it in the past, “feeding off” each other. Hill-Green posted a clip of the workout on his Instagram stories with a simple three-word message: “Got Better Today.” Speaks volumes about where Hill-Green’s mindset is heading into his first season in Alabama. Standing across from him in the workout was Bentley, a 6’0″, 230-pound Alabama native who carved out a gritty, productive role that was vintage linebacker work—downhill, instinctive, violent at the point of attack.

Although Bentley had his best season in 2023, somehow, the NFL world has stayed too quiet on Bentley. In fact, the one time when Colorado’s NFL Showcase helped boost his untapped stock, New York-based sports radio director Muki Hawkins reported that the scouts were mighty impressed with him: “[LaVonta Bentley] impressed multiple scouts today. He even participated in DB drills to show his fluidity and coverage skills, his numbers are amongst the Top 8 Linebackers in this draft class.” Undrafted and under-hyped, he simply refuses to fade quietly just yet.

LaVonta Bentley, named a “sleeper” prospect, finally gets his shot

A little good news has rolled in for Bentley—and it could be the start of something big. The former Colorado (and Clemson) LB accepted an invite to the Cincinnati Bengals‘ rookie minicamp on April 29, according to the team’s social media. He may not be under contract just yet, but the door is open, and Bentley’s walking through it with purpose as a tryout player.

Before making noise in Boulder, Bentley spent four seasons at Clemson, where he built strong ties to the Bengals’ roster. From 2019 to 2022, Bentley played behind defensive end Myles Murphy and alongside linebacker Barrett Carter. Sound familiar? They should—Murphy was Cincinnati’s first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and Carter was their fourth-round selection just last week.

All three Tigers shared the field from 2021 to 2022, giving Bengals scouts and coaches plenty of film where Bentley pops off the screen. There’s a good chance he caught their eye while they were dissecting Murphy and Carter’s tape. Depending on how that goes, Denver Gazette‘s Chris Tomasson reported that Bentley was expected to also be one of two dozen tryouts in Denver’s rookie minicamp the following weekend. So, while Bentley isn’t locked into a contract yet, the connections are real, the opportunity is legit. And Nikhai must be proud.