With the addition of Freddie Roach at defensive line coach and the return of Christian Barmore, Alabama’s defensive front next season will be nothing to play with.
A native of Philadelphia, Pa., Barmore was one of the unsung heroes that made sure Alabama finished the 2019 campaign on a strong note. He went unnoticed through the first three games; however, a vicious tackle against Southern Mississippi introduced him to Crimson Tide fans.
Barmore recorded three tackles versus the Golden Eagles – including one tackle for loss and that was all it took to start the hype train.
The 6-foot-5, 310-pound defensive lineman performed well every week and it led to fans wondering as to why he was not a starter in the rotation.
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While the Tide lost LaBryan Ray to an injury and DJ Dale was adjusting to the speed of the game, Barmore was dominating the competition.
It even got to a point where the redshirt freshman was providing more energy and effort than Raekwon Davis, who was a senior.
Alabama head coach, Nick Saban spoke on how much Barmore had improved as a player and that his role had expanded to being an inside pass rusher. He took his assignment seriously, totaling six tackles for loss, two sacks and five quarterback hurries to pair with 26 total tackles.
Barmore was named to the All-Freshman Team for the Southeastern Conference and according to his Twitter account, it’s only the beginning. As one of the exciting talents on defense, he released a video of what can be expected for next fall.
This is only the beginning#RollTide pic.twitter.com/9PV467GYpZ
— Christian Barmore (@Chris_Bmore4u) January 28, 2020
In its five national championship years, Alabama carried a tenacious defensive front.
Barmore looks to restore the nasty to the Tide.
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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.
