Ad Disclosure
In 2014, Alabama’s secondary was laden with talent. One All-American at safety, another fifth-year senior alongside him, yet the Crimson Tide struggled in the defensive backfield all year.
With no defensive backs coach on hand, Alabama’s secondary struggled with consistency. Sure, Nick Saban and Kirby Smart had their hands in coaching the position group, but those are two busy men.
Landon Collins and Nick Perry could only do so much to lead the unit that finished 11th in the SEC in pass yards allowed, a far cry from the top-five position the Tide had held for the previous five seasons. Alabama’s No. 59 ranking nationally was the lowest of Saban’s tenure.
Simply put, the performance on field didn’t match up with the talent level. That’s what new secondary coach Mel Tucker is in Tuscaloosa to fix.
The former NFL defensive coordinator and long-time assistant coach will be tasked with improving the most vital position group to Alabama’s 2015 fate, save for quarterback. He has plenty to work with.
Alabama replaces Collins, Perry and Jarrick Williams with one veteran and several other talented players, many of them young. Geno Smith is expected to hold down one starting position as a senior, while early enrollees Ronnie Harrison and Deonte Thompson, senior Jabriel Washington and sophomore Hootie Jones will duke it out for playing time as well.
The cornerback position is a different story. While starters Cyrus Jones and Eddie Jackson both return, they’ll be challenged to keep their roles — as they should be. Jones was the better of the two, and his physicality should be a plus for Tucker. Jackson struggled at times and was occasionally pulled for Tony Brown, a sophomore could claim the starting role this season.
With nine four- or five-star signees over their last three recruiting classes, the Crimson Tide will have no excuses but to bring their secondary performance back up to its customary level in 2015.
Spring practice will be the first chance to start sorting out the depth chart and for Tucker to begin implementing his philosophies. Whether he gets to employ his two-deep alignment that he’s used for much of his NFL career or he’s simply charged with tutoring a group of young and talented defensive backs within Smart’s system remains to be seen.
One area where the Tide will need to see his influence: takeaways. Alabama has just 22 interceptions over the last two seasons, finishing ninth and 11th in the SEC in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Over the years, Tucker’s secondaries shined in creating turnovers, and it’s an aspect the Crimson Tide need to bring back on defense.
As always, Alabama will have a chance to contend for a title, both SEC and nation, in 2015. Bringing the level of play in the defensive backfield back up to the chaos-causing levels the Tide reached in their national championship years earlier this decade will be the biggest defensive factor in getting them there.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
