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Nick Saban explains outlook on defense, how it differs from those in the past
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Since Alabama’s opening game against USC in the fall of 2016, all 11 defensive starters in that game have been drafted. Eight of them were taken in the 2018 draft.
For any normal college football program, that would cause a major drop-off in talent. Alabama, however, is not any normal college football program, and continues to reload with top recruiting classes year after year.
On Nick Saban’s weekly radio show in Tuscaloosa, Saban addressed the difference from this year’s defense to those in previous years, via 247Sports’ Charlie Potter.
Saban's outlook on defense: "I think we have enough talented players, I think our first unit has talented players. … I think the biggest issue for us because of the numbers that we've lost is we don't have the kind of depth on defense that we've had in the past."
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) September 7, 2018
Despite losing stars such as Minkah Fitzpatrick, Rashaan Evans, and Daron Payne, Alabama’s defense held the Louisville offense to just 16 rush yards in the week 1 matchup. The Crimson Tide returns stars such as Raekwon Davis, Mack Wilson, Dylan Moses, and Anfernee Jennings, among others.
Saban acknowledged the talent on the first team defense, but voiced concern for the depth his team has.
Last year, Alabama’s linebacking core suffered injuries all season long to key players, but was still able to sneak into the College Football Playoff and win the national championship due to depth on defense. This season, however, that kind of depth may not be available if the injury bug hits the Tide again.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Lucas is a digital reporter for 104.5 The Zone in Nashville, and a high school play-by-play broadcaster. Lucas has been covering SEC football for Saturday Down South since 2018.
