One of the more interesting position battles as Alabama heads toward its final week of preseason practice has been at inside linebacker.

Reuben Foster and Shaun Dion Hamilton have both earned playing time regardless of which one gets labeled the starter.

An area of slight concern after last season, it now looks like the Crimson Tide has both talent and depth alongside returning starter Reggie Ragland with Foster and Hamilton each shining during preseason drills.

As the Tide exited spring practice, it was Hamilton who worked with the first team as part of the base defensive package while Foster played with the first team in various other packages. Both have continued to play well enough that there’s a good chance either could become the starter, but head coach Nick Saban singled Foster out as a top performer at Alabama’s most recent scrimmage.

“Reuben has had a good camp and did a nice job today,” Saban told AL.com in what amounts to high praise from the coach this preseason.

A ridiculously hard hitter the moment he stepped onto campus, Foster spent a great deal of time working on improving his tackling technique, learning to keep his head up and see his target. It appears to have paid off with expectations for his junior season increasing as the Sept. 5 opener against No. 20 Wisconsin nears.

But Hamilton is keeping pace. The sophomore continues to figure heavily into the Tide’s plans. Which one is technically the starter could vary game to game depending on which package Alabama uses for the first defensive snap. In recent practices Foster was playing with the No. 1 nickel package.

No matter how it shakes out, it looks obvious Saban and defensive coordinator Kirby Smart will find ways to get both players lots of playing time. Both have been standouts on special teams and should continue to get work with kickoff and punt coverage units.

No matter how it shakes out depth chart wise, it looks like the Tide will have another solid tandem of linebackers to man the inside.