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There are plenty of Alabama traditions that resumed when Nick Saban arrived on campus. There’s national championship contention, a constant spot at the top of the SEC West, smothering defenses and more.
One tradition that’s become one of the most impressive in college football: the standout safeties Saban and Kirby Smart’s defenses have had for nearly a decade.
When Saban arrived, it started with Rashad Johnson. Mark Barron took over from there. Then it was Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Vinnie Sunsieri, followed by Landon Collins and Nick Perry.
In all, the numbers are pretty staggering. It’s only been eight years since Saban took over the Crimson Tide and brought them back to the top of the college football world. In that time, Saban’s safeties alone have racked up more individual honors than many entire teams do in the same time span.
- All-SEC selections: 9 (5 first-team, 4 second-team)
- All-America selections: 5 (Johnson, Barron, Clinton-Dix, Collins)
- NFL draft picks: 4 (Johnson, Barron, Sunsieri, Clinton-Dix)
Alabama’s safeties lineage has a lot of things in common. Many of them are excellent tackles, capable of playing down hill and stuffing the run at the line of scrimmage. They were turnover magnets with a nose for the ball, as guys like Barron, Collins and Clinton-Dix got their hands on plenty of interceptions and recorded quite a few forced fumbles. They all had excellent range, capable of dropping back in pass coverage to make plays on deep passes.
After Collins posted an outstanding All-American season, the Tide will add at least one safety to their NFL draft alumni, and possibly another in Perry. With two four-star safeties already on campus as part of the Tide’s most recent recruiting class, one can’t help but think that legacy is set to roll on.
While the Tide have produced plenty of NFL players during Saban’s tenure, there aren’t many positions that come close to Alabama’s safety production. Offensive line and linebacker both earn as many accolades as the back line players, but that’s about it.
There is the question of whether there will be an immediate successor to Alabama’s safety lineage. Despite having an All-American in Collins, Alabama’s secondary wasn’t up to par. This year, the Tide will be replacing both back line starters, as well as backup Jarrick Williams.
Geno Smith is next up as a starter after playing consistently in a reserve role last year, but he lacks the star quality of the line of safeties that preceded him. Jabriel Washington and Hootie Jones are both talented but unproven. Both Deionte Thompson and Ronnie Harrison, four-star recruits, are early enrollees in spring practice fighting for playing time.
In an interview with AL.com for the NFL scouting combine, Perry identified Washington as the biggest breakout candidate in the secondary.
“I think we’ll see big things from him this year. I think that he’s going to make a lot of big plays, and I think he’s going to shock the world,” Perry said.
Even with the big potential of Washington, Jones and the freshmen, the next great Alabama safety hasn’t distinguished himself yet. Secondary coach Mel Tucker, hired this offseason after the Crimson Tide went two years without a defensive backs coach, will hope one of his players distinguishes himself at some point during the spring or fall.
If history tells us anything, it won’t be long before the Tide have yet another All-American patrolling the back of the defense.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
