It is never easy to learn a Nick Saban defense at Alabama, especially when one is tasked with playing the most important position in his scheme.
According to the Southeastern Conference, the duo of Connor Bazelak (quarterback, Missouri) and Tank Bigsby (running back, Auburn) shared the honor of SEC Freshman of the Year.
Both players experienced success with their respective teams and both schools had winning seasons, despite a conference-only schedule, but one could make a case for Malachi Moore being more deserving of the honor. As a former four-star recruit, the Trussville (Ala.) native has Alabama’s defense back in the College Football Playoff after it missed the cut in 2019.
Moore was a stud throughout his career at Hewitt-Trussville High School.
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Because of the COVID pandemic, Moore was not allowed to enroll early. It is difficult to process a Saban defense with ample time, so not having a spring season put Moore behind the 8-ball.
He was not the most popular defensive back in his class, in terms of conversations from fans, and DeVonta Smith schooled him a few times in 7-on-7 practices on the band field over the summer.
For Tide alums such as DeMarcus Milliner, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Shyheim Carter, they had either a full spring or summer to learn a position on defense.
With this being the age of technology, Moore had to teach himself the system on Zoom and then execute the plays on the field at preseason camp.
His vast knowledge and willingness to learn from mistakes quickly caught the attention of Coach Saban and his teammates. A video surfaced on Twitter of Moore delivering a hit on freshman wide receiver, Thaiu Jones-Bell, and fans instantly became intrigued. Regardless of not having spring ball, not having enough summer action and not having a typical fall camp, Moore still earned the starting job at nickel.
He got his feet wet through the first couple of games; nevertheless, people started to soon recognize him as a playmaker. The 6-foot, 182-pounder grabbed his first career interception versus Texas A&M in a 52-24 win for the Tide.
He would introduce himself to the “Ball Out” turnover belt again, when he picked off Stetson Bennett of Georgia at Bryant-Denny Stadium in assisting Alabama to a 41-24 victory in week four.
During the following matchup versus Tennessee, Moore was around the ball for a third time.
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He stripped the ball from Eric Gray (running back) of the Volunteers, and returned the fumble for a 28-yard score. In his first-ever Iron Bowl, he negated a scoring drive from Auburn by picking off Bo Nix.
Moore also handled Anthony Schwartz in the slot, as the fastest player in college football could not get past the freshman. Although his tackling skills and takeaways were impressive, what won Moore over to national media was his coverage skills. Outlets like Pro Football Focus were amazed at his focus of not allowing touchdowns to be thrown on him. Even with playing against the best receivers in the SEC, the freshman did not surrender a touchdown in 10 games.
No one could shake him, frustrate him, create separation or get under his skin.
Moore would garner comparisons to Fitzpatrick and George Teague.
Throughout the season, Teague constantly praised Moore’s style of play. While the legend made No. 13 famous in the 1990’s, Moore is keeping the swagger going with it.
“I really do think he’s a good DB,” Teague said of Moore. “I’m not being biased cause he wears No. 13, but it does make him smart. The way he plays man-to-man, breaks on the ball, he’s got it. He’s aggressive, he’s always trying to take the ball. You can tell he’s got some s*** in the tank. I think he is up and coming. In the next couple of years, you are going to see him fly up the charts.”
Moore has had moments this year where he was the best defensive player on the field.
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He won SEC Freshman of the Week multiple times and with the exception of Florida, Moore was responsible for a marquee play on CBS when it featured Alabama. He allowed his first score of the campaign to Kadarius Toney in the SEC Championship Game.
Moore went from not being able to enroll early to winning a starting job on defense.
This is not easy and when one factors in his dominant efforts in the most critical role, it is nothing short of him being an elite student-athlete. With his instincts, Moore paced the Tide to having the top-ranked scoring defense (19.5 ppg) in the SEC.
He chimes in with 44 tackles (27 solo), four tackles for loss, six pass breakups, two quarterback hurries, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, three interceptions (team-high) and one touchdown. Moore was named to second-team All-SEC and Freshman All-SEC, but he did more than enough to earn SEC’s Freshman of the Year. He will be focused on earning first-team All-SEC honors, All-American honors and grabbing some national awards next season.
Moore is the real deal in the defensive secondary.
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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.
