42 Days Away from Bama Kickoff: Eddie Lacy

Each day counting down to Alabama's Week 1 matchup with Utah State, I will highlight one former player whose jersey number coincides with the amount of days until the game. Kickoff is just 42 days away, so let's look at the career of a former Crimson Tide bruiser, Eddie Lacy. 

Eddie Lacy ran through opposing defenses as a member of the Crimson Tide from 2009-2012. A four-star prospect from Dutchtown High School in Geismar, LA, Lacy was ranked as the No. 6 player in the state and chose Alabama over the likes of LSU, Oklahoma and more.

In his first year with the Tide, sitting behind players like Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson and others, Lacy was redshirted and didn't appear in any games, but the team finished 14-0 and won the National Championship.

In his second season, the bruising back took on a larger role, appearing in 12 games and rushing for 406 yards on 56 carries with six touchdowns.

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After the departure of Ingram to the NFL ahead of the 2011 season, Lacy slotted into the lineup alongside Trent Richardson, creating a lethal one-two-punch at running back for the Tide. Alabama finished the year as national champions once more, avenging a regular season loss to LSU, and Lacy compiled an impressive 674 yards on just 95 carries.

In his final year with the program, Lacy took over as the full-time starter and put up the best numbers of his career. The 6-foot, 220 lb. back finished with 1,322 yards on 204 carries with 17 touchdowns and was named to the All-SEC First Team. Alabama made another trip to the National Championship and won in convincing fashion, taking down Notre Dame 42-14, and Lacy was named Offensive MVP of the game.

After declaring for the 2013 NFL Draft, the former four-star was picked in the second round by the Green Bay Packers where he took the league by storm as a rookie. Lacy rushed for over 1,000 yards in his first season and won Offensive Rookie of the Year.

The success continued in his second season as he hit the 1,000-yard mark once more, but by his third year with the team, his playing time would begin to dip.

Lacy's carries in 2015 took a massive dip from the year prior and then an injury the following season would ultimately close the book on his time with Green Bay.

Lacy spent a single season with the Seahawks in 2016, but was unable to recreate the success found in his first two years and has not been with another team since.

Recently the former Bama star partnered with Amare, a mental wellness and nutrition company, and is working to bring awareness to mental health issues and what can be done to help them from a nutritional standpoint.

Stay locked in to Tide1009.com for the countdown to Alabama football. Check out the rest of the list here.