Former Alabama defensive tackle Dee Liner told AL.com that he lost his passion for the game of football while serving as a reserve on the Crimson Tide’s roster for three years prior to transferring to Arkansas State before the 2015 season.

Liner, a 4-star prospect from the 2013 recruiting class — where he was considered the No. 4 overall player at his position — appeared in only four games in two seasons with Alabama, recording four tackles. This led him to reach a point where he “really lost the love for the game of football just knowing that I wasn’t going to get in come Saturday.”

However, Liner seems to have found a second wind with Arkansas State. When asked what people should expect from him this year, he responded, “A dominant player.”

Liner had a strong spring and is expected to have a big role with the Red Wolves in 2016.

“He did some things in pass rush that impressed me,” Arkansas State defensive line coach Brian Early said. “Just over the course of scrimmages or when we would go live in (team drills during practice), he was just always showing up and making plays.

“Every time we lined up and went live, the sucker showed up and he was making plays. Whenever he was single-blocked, we couldn’t block him this spring. The offensive line couldn’t block him.”