DeMarcco Hellams earned his nickname “Hitman Hellams” last week against Mississippi State for Alabama.
After a rough performance versus Tennessee, the senior safety was the enforcer against the Bulldogs.
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Hellams excelled in run support and nailed several Bulldogs’ wide receivers in coverage. Will Rogers and Mississippi State’s offense did not record a lot of chunk yardage plays in the passing game. Hellams and the Crimson Tide’s defense limited the Bulldogs to 7.7 yards per catch and 3.4 yards per play in a 30-6 victory at Bryant-Denny Stadium for homecoming. Hellams bounced back with 12 total tackles, including seven solo stops. He tallied two pass breakups, a sack, and a tackle for loss.
The 6-foot-1, 208-pounder also had a leadership moment with redshirt sophomore Jahquez Robinson. Alabama gave up a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, and Hellams was not happy with it. He held Robinson accountable. Hellams is one of several players getting looked at for the Reese’s Senior Bowl. Jim Nagy and his staff named Hellams as its Senior Bowl Defensive Player of the Week for his performance. He needs to continue to develop in pass coverage, but Hellams is a big-time tackler.
The Reese’s Senior Bowl Defensive Player of the Week is @AlabamaFTBL DB @DHellams2 tallying 12 tackles, 7 solo, 2 PBUs, and 1 sack in the #Alabama win over Mississippi State. #RollTide 🔴⚪️ #TheDraftStartsInMOBILE™️ pic.twitter.com/lKPNwlvPQM
— Reese’s Senior Bowl (@seniorbowl) October 24, 2022
Below clip is from final play after @AlabamaFTBL surrendered shoutout. Coaches value @DHellams2’s leadership so much because isn’t afraid to hold younger teammates accountable when vast majority of players are too concerned w/ other guys liking them.pic.twitter.com/5zIMEaYzxv https://t.co/cf4IVWvk8q
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) October 24, 2022
He will lead Alabama’s secondary against Louisiana State University on Saturday, Nov. 5.
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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.
