A lot of buzz is surrounding the young athletes on defense that could sign in Alabama’s 2021 recruiting class; however, the group of freshmen playing now is a highly talented one.
We have seen players such as Malachi Moore, William Anderson, Jamil Burroughs and Tim Smith all impact games defensively, but last week introduced Crimson Tide fans to another name.
Brian Branch, a native of Tyrone, Ga., arrived on campus as a four-star from Sandy Creek High School. As a highlight defensive back, he ended his tenure at Sandy Creek as the program’s all-time leader for interceptions. While his game tape immediately grabbed attention, his work ethic through preseason camp at Alabama impressed Nick Saban. Branch got reps at star (nickel), money (dime) and safety throughout the summer, and earned the primary backup role in nickel. He played in four games prior to facing Mississippi State, but Branch got the start at dime on Halloween night inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.
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In his first career start, he was all over the field.
Branch finished with seven total tackles, tying him for second on the team. He collected four solo stops — including half a tackle for loss.
The 6-foot, 190-pounder nearly recorded two interceptions, but instead he had a pair of pass breakups. He tackled well, brought much energy to the defensive secondary and helped shut down an air-raid offense.
With the Tide exclusively in dime, Branch assisted in rendering Mississippi State’s quarterback play to completing just 50 percent of its passes (24 of 48 passes completed) for 163 yards. He was on the field for both interceptions forced off Will Rogers, including a pick-six for Patrick Surtain II in the fourth quarter. In a 41-0 victory for Alabama, Branch confidently limited the Bulldogs to 106 yards offensively through three quarters. Although it concluded with 200 yards, Miss. State average 3.2 yards per play.
After watching him succeed and have fun, Surtain said the ‘future is bright’ for Branch at Alabama on defense.
“Brian played a big time game,” Surtain said. “He stepped into the secondary full of confidence and we trusted him to be in the game. He prepared like he was going to make plays and it showed on the field.”
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His season-high of seven tackles moves Branch to nine stops on the season with three breakups.
On the heels of shutting out Mike Leach, Branch now enters the bye week with a matchup against LSU on his mind.
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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.
