Alabama football held its second scrimmage on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium and according to sources, the defensive secondary played much better.
After not recording an interception in the first live action exhibition, the Crimson Tide’s back five recorded seven picks. Despite it having more depth in the secondary, Nick Saban wants consistency from this group as it looks to return to the “No Fly Zone” personality it developed from 2015-17 under assistant coaches Mel Tucker, Jeremy Pruitt and Derrick Ansley.
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Xavier McKinney returns as the man at strong safety; however, there is a five-man race for the position opposite him. Jared Mayden, a senior, has been doing well throughout spring practice yet Daniel Wright, Eddie Smith and two freshmen – DeMarcco Hellams and Jordan Battle – are trying to pass him up.
Mayden finished last season with 18 tackles, with one coming for loss.
In Saturday’s airing of In My Own Words, Stephen Smith of Touchdown Alabama Magazine dives into the race for free safety and breaks down each player.
You can listen to the audio version of the podcast via SoundCloud.
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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.
