Alabama football has an elite player at one of two safety positions in Xavier McKinney, but the coaching staff is very excited about the future in that role.
He is not much of a talker, however, Jared Mayden decided to shed some light on a true freshman starter in the Crimson Tide’s secondary on Monday. The 6-foot, 205-pounder from Texas said Jordan Battle is ‘crazy athletic’ and that he will be the next ‘great talent.’
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“He’s a funny kid,” Mayden said of Battle.
“He plays with a lot of energy. What he does not know, he’ll ask in meetings. Even on the field, he’ll look at me and I make sure to look at him to let him know he’s doing the right things. There aren’t too many times where we don’t understand what’s going on.”
The four-star from St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) has the same mindset of former Tide standout, Minkah Fitzpatrick. A native of New Jersey, he arrived in the 2015 signing class, quickly learned the system, and won the starting job at nickel corner.
Fitzpatrick earned All-American honors in his three seasons and was a contributor to two College Football Playoff National Championship teams (2015, 2017), before getting selected No.11 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft to the Miami Dolphins.
He was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 16 and the Dolphins gained a first and fifth-round pick for 2020 and a sixth-round selection for 2021. Fitzpatrick, a former five-star, appears to be happy with the Steelers.
As for Battle, he impressed Nick Saban and Alabama’s coaching staff in fall practice with his vast knowledge of playing single-high safety in the dime package. The 6-foot-1, 201-pounder was awarded the starting nod versus Duke and recorded his first career interception.
Despite the team being in the wrong coverage, Saban said it was Battle’s range, ball skills and effort to not give up on the play that created a turnover. Through five games, he has 12 total tackles – including two for loss and one sack.
Seeing how McKinney projects as a first-rounder by most draft analysts, the Crimson Tide is preparing the freshman to take his place next year.
“He’s a very bright, young guy,” Saban said of Battle on Wednesday.
“He really picked up on what we do very quickly and I think he played in a really good high school program at St. Thomas, where he was probably well coached. So, I think that probably helped his development when he got here. He does not make a lot of mental errors and he’s a good football player. He’s a good tackler… He’s instinctive. So, I think he’ll just get better and better.”
In reflecting back on Fitzpatrick, his first big moment as a freshman came against Texas A&M at Kyle Field in 2015.
He picked off two passes from Kyle Allen and returned both for touchdowns, earning player of the week honors. Battle will face the Aggies next week and an opportunity for the nation to recognize him will be in full effect.
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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.
