Alabama fans are pumped to have an offensive-minded head coach, but they are more excited about the defense.
Nick Saban, who served as the Crimson Tide’s defensive architect for 17 years, saw the respect opponents had for Alabama’s defense under Kirby Smart and Jeremy Pruitt. Those teams believed in forcing turnovers, scoring off those turnovers, sacking quarterbacks, limiting points, and having offenses mentally defeated before kickoff.
Stephen “Pete” Golding wanted to keep the momentum going, but he was not prepared to come to Tuscaloosa (Ala.) from the University of Texas at San Antonio and excel.
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Alabama became a pushover on defense for five years (2018-22), regardless of winning a College Football Playoff National Championship in 2020.
After parting ways from Golding, the Tide saw a remnant of its groups under Smart and Pruitt return with Kevin Steele’s relentless mindset in 2023. Alabama played tough under Steele for a season and it defeated Georgia for a Southeastern Conference Championship. Steele decided to retire, but the Tide’s new defensive coordinator has this unit set to become respected again.
Kane Wommack, 37, wants to limit explosive plays, points, and excel in situational defense, third down defense, and red zone defense. He wants the Tide stuffing running backs and sacking quarterbacks; however, he wants to create turnovers more than anything else.
Wommack has been schooled in the art of the 4-2-5 system, which his father Dave created.
Some similarities exist between 3-4 nickel defense and the 4-2-5.
The terminology is different at some positions, but the concepts are the same. Alabama will have four down linemen on every play, and that could be four traditional defensive linemen or two defensive linemen and two outside “Wolf” linebackers.
It will play two inside linebackers and five defensive backs.
National media pundits are expecting the Tide to struggle in the secondary, yet its depth up front should create opportunities for pass rushers to affect the quarterback. Alabama has experienced players and hungry young talent across the board that are tired of naysayers undervaluing the potential of this defense. Wommack was the head coach at South Alabama the last three years, so he could not unleash what he really wanted to on defense. Now as a coordinator, he can give SEC offenses pure hell on the field.
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Wommack’s defenses in two years at Indiana (2019-20) totaled 24 interceptions, three fumble recoveries, and three touchdowns.
Seventeen of the Hoosiers’ 24 interceptions came in the 2020 season. In his two years at South Alabama as a defensive coordinator (2016-17), Wommack coached the Jaguars to 18 interceptions and five fumble recoveries.
He has much more to coach at the University of Alabama, and he knows what he’s doing.
The players are bought into wanting to be elite and showing everyone the Tide is still the standard.
Wommack will have this defense better than expected 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.
