Regardless of the talent and depth it has, Alabama’s secondary has much growing to do before next football season.
Patrick Surtain II, a rising junior, is among the players with the most experience – starting in 28 career games. As he looks to get better with his technique, another name to watch this spring is Daniel Wright. He enters his fourth year in the program and as a redshirt junior, the native of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) has played in 31 career games since 2017.
An alumnus of Boyd Anderson High School, Wright signed in the Crimson Tide’s 2017 recruiting class as a four-star at safety.
He immediately made a name for himself on kickoff coverage, as he blew up Keith Gavin of Florida State in Alabama’s season opener.
Wright recorded 10 tackles as a freshman, all of which came on special teams.
Not only did he tie for the team lead in this area, but he was also named Special Teams Player of the Week three times from the coaching staff and he helped the Tide capture a national championship that year. A shoulder injury cut Wright’s campaign short in 2018 after four games. In his return last year, he totaled eight tackles in the secondary.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder is an enforcer (tackling) that also has great range in pass coverage.
He’s had to learn some things, but for the first time he has positioned himself for an opportunity to be a starter. With the Tide losing Xavier McKinney and Jared Mayden to the NFL Draft, Wright looks to win the starting role at one of the safety spots.
According to a video from Scott Cochran, Alabama’s director of strength and conditioning, Wright is already preparing himself by dominating the fourth quarter program.
Gun show after 4th qtr run pic.twitter.com/zkwNdu1Gk6
— Scott Cochran (@CoachYeah) February 19, 2020
He has gotten stronger in the weight room and this goes a long way – especially when it comes to delivering hits with bad intentions. Wright will be in his money year in the fall and he has a chance to captain the secondary to a national title.
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The time is now for him to be the man.
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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.
