You can be among the top recruits in the nation, but if you’re playing for a true blue blood, good luck seeing meaningful snaps as a freshman.

That is, unless you work your tail off and play like a junior ready to enter the NFL Draft.

Former five-star recruit, and true freshman Michael Carroll is playing like a seasoned vet, and it’s making Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb’s job that much harder.

Coming out of high school, Carroll, an interior offensive lineman, was ranked 12th out of all recruits in the nation, and Alabama worked hard to sign him.

The calling card on him was that he was all business and that he had an edge to his game. But really, the guy has a nastiness to him, that you typically don’t see out of 18-year olds.

All gas, no brakes. Just imagine a 6-foot-6, 321 pound monstrosity coming at you straight ahead, full speed with bad intentions.

All you have to do is watch the first two plays of his high school highlight tape to see what this kid is all about.

We’re four games into Carroll’s college career, and he’s already made a gigantic impact on DeBoer and Grubb. And he’s making an impression on the veterans as well.

"Just a hungry young kid," left tackle Kadyn Proctor said about him. "I mean, he hates being with the twos, as anybody would."

The difference is, certain freshmen can get under the impression that they simply have to “get in line” until their name is called. Carroll though, he has done quite the opposite.

DeBoer was impressed with his mentality, and let 247Sports know that his intensity indicates that he’s cut from a different cloth.

“It’s not this loud ‘rah-rah’ type. It’s a ‘get-after-you' type of love of the game. There’s other guys that have that on the offensive line. But you need five of those guys. If you have five of them that think that way and operate that way, then it’s pretty special. Especially if they have the tools and not just the mindset.”

It doesn’t really need to be said, but the fact that DeBoer is using a true freshman as the standard for the rest of his offensive line, only goes to show how one-of-a-kind Carroll  truly is.

So far, as his snaps have continued to grow, Carroll has managed to form an impressive 76.7 Pass Block PFF grade and a 62.7 Run Block grade.

Alabama’s run game has seemingly slowed down after Week 2, so it’s no surprise that his grade is on the low side. But as a pass blocker and a freshman, it’s eye-popping that Carroll has gotten to this point.

Alabama hosts the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday with a 3:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 CCT kick off. It will be broadcasted on ABC.