Could we see a veteran defensive back for Alabama football transition back to a position he played in high school?
Before he became a College Football Playoff National Champion, three-time SEC Champion, and a permanent team captain, Malachi Moore juggled both cornerback and safety at Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.) High School as a four-star prospect.
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He was one of the top rated safety prospects in the 2020 recruiting class, totaling 83 tackles, five tackles for loss, four interceptions, and two pick-sixes as a senior in 2019. The 6-foot, 198-pounder was a nickel cornerback (Star) for four seasons (2020-23) at the University of Alabama — playing in 52 career games with 26 starts. He has 144 career tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 17 pass breakups, and five interceptions. Moore had a lot of success as a slot cornerback, but now he transitions to strong safety in Kane Wommack’s 4-2-5 defensive system. He’s comfortable with the change and excited about this coming fall.
“I am playing strong safety right now,” Moore said to reporters on Wednesday after practice.
Moore said the reason he chose to return for a fifth season was a lot of teams in the NFL wanted to see him play safety and they see him excelling in that position at the next level.
“To come back and be able to play safety for a whole year gives me a chance to maximize my opportunity at the next level,” Moore said.
It took Moore a minute to understand the switch from ‘Star’ to ‘Husky’ in the 4-2-5 scheme for the nickel defensive back, but he has it down now. He said the biggest challenge for him as a safety is being able to cover in the deeper parts of the field versus playing closer to the line of scrimmage as a slot corner.
“It is just reading where the ball is going in the air, reading where the quarterback is going with the ball, and reading the quarterback’s eyes when I’m coming out of a drop are what I’m working on,” Moore said.
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“It is pretty natural for me, though, and I’m having fun with it.”
Moore’s transition to safety opens a lot in Alabama’s secondary. Tony Mitchell, a former five-star defensive back in the 2023 signing class, has a chance to potentially start at ‘Husky.’ Keon Sabb, a transfer from Michigan, played safety for the Wolverines, but he could play cornerback as well. DeVonta Smith, a former four-star in Alabama’s 2021 class, has some experience at safety.
It will be interesting to see how things shake out, but Moore’s move to safety creates depth.
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Stephen M. Smith is the senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
