All the question marks coming into this season on Alabama’s defense have been answered within the first three games. While Deionte Thompson has command of the secondary and Mack Wilson pushes the linebackers, one of the more underrated names has kept the defensive line intact.
Defensive end Raekwon Davis had all the attention during the summer from college and NFL analysts; however, it has been the performance of redshirt sophomore Quinnen Williams that has been the most impressive. He’s the first nose tackle under 300 pounds to start for a Nick Saban-coached defense in Tuscaloosa, yet he’s become the most consistent name in creating havoc.
The more we analyze the words of former Crimson Tide star Jonathan Allen and how much Williams has improved since his freshman season, it can be confirmed that the Birmingham native is potentially soaring toward a high draft stock. After leading the team in tackles versus Louisville, Williams was the captain of the area last week against Ole Miss with six total stops.
He constantly blew up Rebels’ running back Scottie Phillips in the backfield, limiting him to an average of 3.7 yards per carry and 44 yards total on 12 attempts. Prior to facing Alabama, Phillips was averaging over 100 yards per game. Williams also assisted on getting pressure to senior quarterback Jordan Ta’amu.
In the battle of the throwing Samoans, Ta’amu could not escape Williams and company as the Tide collected four sacks and recorded two interceptions.
Alabama DL Quinnen Williams! #BamavsMiss #Espn @QuinnenD1 pic.twitter.com/AnlzdAb8Km
— InsideBamaRecruiting (@RTRnews) September 16, 2018
Following the game, Saban said Williams is one that keeps the defensive front together.
“He’s playing really well,” he said of Williams. “We got to develop some depth up front. We have five guys that we feel are confident. Quinnen plays with a lot of quickness. He’s a very smart player. He does a good job every week of evaluating their offensive linemen and really goes out and executes well in the game.”
Williams entered the meeting with Mississippi as Alabama’s second leading tackler, and currently leads the program in quarterback pressures (four).
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
