Spring practice begins in a few weeks for Alabama football.
Crimson Tide fans are ready to see their team make a return to the College Football Playoff National Championship stage, but the work starts in March and April. Nick Saban has graduated a lot of experience to the NFL Draft, but the Tide has retooled its deck of players and coaches.
The staff at Touchdown Alabama Magazine is getting everyone prepared for spring football with a new series.
We will be highlighting early spring positions battles and which players will earn starting roles. After a breakdown of the nickel and dime packages for the secondary, we continue with the defense. We dissect the safety position now for spring ball.
Jordan Battle
Alabama will have one of the best defensive secondaries in college football next fall.
Jordan Battle returns as the leader of the defensive backfield. He could have pursued the NFL Draft, but he wanted another season with the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder was a dynamic strong safety in 2021 — totaling 86 tackles, three pass breakups, one quarterback hurry, and three interceptions. He shared the team lead for picks while returning two interceptions for touchdowns. Battle recorded a 42-yard pick-six against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta.
He is back to improve his draft stock and push the Tide to a national championship.
DeMarcco Hellams
The Crimson Tide should have the best tandem at safety with Jordan Battle and DeMarcco Hellams.
Hellams could have pursued the NFL Draft, but he returns for his senior year. As a native of Washington, D.C., he finished with the third-most tackles on the team (87) and had 2.5 stops for loss, three breakups, three interceptions, and one quarterback hurry in the 2021 season. Despite having an ankle injury in fall practice, Hellams battled through it and was impactful for the Tide.
The 6-foot-1, 208-pounder loves to seek out contact with crushing hits. He also showed he can be at the right place to create turnovers. Hellams, like Battle, is excited about using the spring and next season to enhance his draft status.
He is prepared to propel the Crimson Tide to the College Football Playoff and win a national title.
Other names to watch at safety
-Daniel Wright
-Malachi Moore
-Kristian Story
-Kaine Williams
-Devonta Smith
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Helpers for Alabama in nickel and dime for 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.
