A star middle linebacker, 3rd-team All-American, All-SEC recipient and high NFL draft pick in waiting, McClain also has a reputation of being one of the most reluctant stars on Alabama's team when it comes to interviews.
"I don't like to be in the eye of the media or the limelight," McClain said. "I don't really care for it."
McClain estimates he had made about 5 media appearances total since arriving at Alabama and winning a starting job as a true freshman. Reporters basically learned last season not to ask for McClain, since he usually declined to show.
So how is it that McClain, of all players, wound up amid the biggest media circus in college football? He was in attendance at last week's SEC Media Days in Hoover, joining left guard Mike Johnson as representatives of the Crimson Tide.
"They drug me out of bed, made me come here," McClain said in mock annoyance. "No, it's fun. They said I'm here to represent my team. So if it's going to benefit my team, I'm just trying to say the best things to represent our team. I don't really mind."
To balance talk about what McClain is not, there is plenty about what he is.
Above all, he's a tough guy, a throwback to the days of Butkus and Lambert and Nitschke, a player who genuinely enjoys savage contact.
He was last year's team leader in tackles (95), tackles for loss (12) and tied for the lead with (2) fumble recoveries, doing all this after a scary motorcycle accident months before that left scars and limited his offseason work. Then again, this is the same guy who barely missed a play after gashing his thumb so bad against Mississippi State last season that it required outpatient surgery after the game! The SEC Rocks!
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