The freshmen class that Nick Saban and Alabama football signed in February, especially on defense, is making sure the Crimson Tide will remain dominant for years to come.
He could not enroll early because of the COVID-19 pandemic and he did not arrive on campus until the summer, but Malachi Moore has shown the capability to make up ground. A native of Trussville, Ala., he soaked up information from coaches and teammates during preseason camp.
The four-star from Hewitt-Trussville High School impressed Saban with his ball skills, competitiveness and willingness to learn.
Since earning the starting role at star in the nickel package, Moore has grown to arguably be the most important defensive player for the Crimson Tide. The 6-foot, 182-pounder has performed well throughout the season, but Moore has turned it on since the Georgia matchup.
After recording his second interception of the year versus the Bulldogs at Bryant-Denny Stadium, he returned a fumble for a 28-yard touchdown against Tennessee on the road.
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During the Iron Bowl on last week, he made a pair of critical plays that wowed the broadcast team of Brad Nessler and Gary Danielson on CBS. For Auburn, Anthony Schwartz is probably the fastest receiver in college football. He is a world-class sprinter in track and once he hits the open field, very few defenders can catch him.
The Tigers gave him the ball on a reverse in the second quarter to create some offense; however, the speedster could not turn the corner.
Moore created the best angle on Schwartz and tripped him up in the backfield for a loss of yards.
Nessler and Danielson could not believe Moore tracked down Schwartz. When he was not being disruptive in the backfield, Moore collected his third pick of his freshman campaign.
Auburn wanted to get a field goal from Anders Carlson and go into halftime down, 6-21.
On third down with 20 seconds remaining, Bo Nix targeted Schwartz on an out route. Moore had perfect coverage, read Nix’s eyes, and he snatched an interception as he undercut Schwartz on the play. The freshman took points from the Tigers and killed its drive.
He finished the game with three tackles (one for loss) and one interception for the Tide in its 42-13 win. Social media went crazy after Moore’s pick, as former Tide players and former NFL stars are loving his game.
Malachi like that!! 🔥🔥 stamped and approved
— Mack Wilson (@5mackwilson1) November 28, 2020
Malachi Moore setting up a nice resume for the Thorpe Next year👀
— Marlon Humphrey (@marlon_humphrey) November 28, 2020
Bama’s @malachi_moore13 is a Star! I mean I know he plays the ⭐️ position, but he has been Stingley freshman year good in the slot! Kid is amazing. Bama got another 1. Young @minkfitz_21
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) November 28, 2020
According to Saban, he said Moore is not someone who will make a lot of mistakes.
“I think that early in the season we saw a lot of stuff,” Saban said. “Missouri, Ole Miss … those games were really tough for the defensive players, especially the young ones. They saw about everything you could see from a formation and adjustment standpoint, but I think they learned a lot from it. I think Malachi is the kind of guy that he might make a mistake once, but he’s smart and he gets it right the next time. The cumulative effect from those experiences has made him a lot more confident and he has played really well for us.”
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Pro Football Focus is one national outlet that has been high on Moore all year.
In its latest graphic, PFF broke down Moore’s performance in the Iron Bowl. He allowed one catch on six targets.
Malachi Moore in the Iron Bowl
🔺 32 coverage snaps
🔺 6 targets
🔺 1 catch allowed (7 yards)
🔺 1 INT pic.twitter.com/BbXRytx7U9— PFF College (@PFF_College) November 29, 2020
Through eight games, the freshman is one of the leading tacklers (34) on the team. He also has four tackles for loss, six pass breakups (shares team lead), one quarterback hurry, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, three interceptions (team high) and one defensive touchdown.
Moore has often been compared to Minkah Fitzpatrick and George Teague for his play on the field. The next piece of his development will be finishing sacks on blitz packages.
He gets into the backfield on corner blitzes, nevertheless, he has not sacked a quarterback yet. Moore will learn this skill in time, but what he’s done so far is excellent.
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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.
