Everything happens for a reason and for Daniel Wright, his story has come full circle.
He battled injuries, learned maturity and applied patience through three years at the University of Alabama.
A native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the younger brother of Major Wright (played seven years in the NFL) arrived in the Crimson Tide’s top-ranked 2017 signing class as a four-star safety.
He was in the same class as Dylan Moses, LaBryan Ray and Xavier McKinney, along with offensive talents such as Tua Tagovailoa, Najee Harris, Jerry Jeudy, Devonta Smith and Henry Ruggs III.
Patience is a hard thing to master, especially when an athlete wants to play, but Wright made it through.
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Despite a shoulder injury forcing him to miss 11 games in 2018, he has played in 31 career matchups — including all 13 contests in 2019.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder always had the size, ball skills, instincts and confidence to shut receivers down; however, he was missing thorough knowledge of the system and the importance of communication and execution.
With the Tide losing four defensive backs to the National Football League, the sun now shines on Wright as a potential starter at strong safety.
During his Zoom call with local reporters on Tuesday, Moses said his teammate is ‘ready for a great season.’
“I’ve seen him (Daniel Wright) grow a lot,” Moses said. “He’s been communicating a lot in the backend and has been giving a lot of feedback. It has been helpful to me having a communicator on the field. He is a strong leader in the weight room and a strong leader off the field as well. The guy just has a good head on his shoulders.”
Before Alabama made the hires of David Ballou and Dr. Matt Rhea official, Wright spent the Fourth Quarter Program under Scott Cochran (now at Georgia) transforming his body.
He now looks like the terminator and is determined to push the Tide’s secondary to being dominant each week on the field.
It has not been easy, but Wright is finally ready to take his moment.
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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.
