He watched Bryce Young and Will Anderson become top-five NFL Draft picks from his 2020 signing class at Alabama.
Malachi Moore has seen his collegiate career come full circle. Moore, a former four-star from Trussville, Ala., exploded onto the scene as a talented true freshman. He quickly earned a starting spot as a nickel (Star) defensive back, totaling 44 tackles, four tackles for loss, six pass breakups, three interceptions (team-high), and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown.
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Moore had a massive impact in helping the Crimson Tide to a Southeastern Conference Championship and a perfect College Football Playoff National Championship season in 2020.
He battled through injuries in the following two seasons, but Moore fought his back to freshman form in 2023. He became an impactful leader in the defensive secondary, collecting 52 tackles, five tackles for loss, five pass breakups, a quarterback hurry, and an interception.
Moore was voted a permanent team captain by his peers in Nick Saban’s final season with the Tide.
He propelled Alabama’s defense to 27-24 victory over Georgia in the 2023 SEC Championship Game, punching the Tide’s ticket back to the CFP. He suffered a tough loss to Michigan in the Rose Bowl Game, but Moore decided to run it back for a fifth year with his brothers. He returns as the lone player with marquee big game experience in Alabama’s defensive backfield. Kane Wommack (defensive coordinator) and Maurice Linguist (co-defensive coordinator, defensive backs coach) are thrilled to have Moore in the secondary.
Both love what he brings to the defense.
Wommack, a former head coach at South Alabama, called Moore an ‘unbelievable professional.’
“I think he [Malachi Moore] carries himself with a body language and demeanor that every coach wants to work with, wants to compete with every day,” Wommack said on Wednesday after spring practice.
“He has a hunger to get better. He is not satisfied with where he is, though, he has done a tremendous job as a football player. I am really excited about what he is going to bring to the table from a leadership standpoint, especially with some of these young defensive backs that are very talented. They need that leadership and experience to be able to lean upon it.”
Linguist, 39, is a native of Dallas, Texas.
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He played safety at Baylor from 2003-06 and coached defensive backs at Mississippi State (2016) and Texas A&M (2019-19) to show his ties to the SEC. Linguist, a cornerbacks coach for the Tide, said Moore presence on defense means so much.
“It is speechless, in terms of the value, what Malachi Moore brings to this team,” Linguist said. “It is not just his on-field production, but it’s his presence. It is how he goes about his business, first guy in, last guy out. When you look at these 18-year-olds we have on the roster right now, he [Moore] is a guy we can point to and say ‘there is a guy you want to emulate.'”
Moore watched Brian Branch, another member of Alabama’s 2020 signing class, become a second-round selection in 2023 NFL Draft after a stellar 2022 season. He is in the same mold as Branch and could have a monster campaign in the fall.
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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.
