The position that garnered so much concern for Alabama football at Southeastern Conference Media Days may actually be better than everyone expected.
Alabama’s cornerback room got picked apart at the Omni Hotel (Dallas, Texas) because of its youth.
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Not having Terrion Arnold and Ga’Quincy “Kool-Aid” McKinstry is tough, but it is not the end of the world.
After two practices of fall camp, Kane Wommack sees the cornerbacks growing at the right time. The Crimson Tide’s defensive coordinator likes what he has in the room, especially the freshmen Nick Saban recruited before retiring. Wommack has been impressed with Domani Jackson and said DaShawn Jones is playing faster since coming from Wake Forest, but the Tide has three freshmen that have done more than hold their own. Zabien Brown, Jaylen Mbakwe, and Zavier Mincey have progressed well.
“Zabien Brown has been impressive right off the bat,” Wommack said Thursday.
“If you look at Jaylen Mbakwe, I think he has made the greatest strides over the last six months. All three of those freshmen — Zabien Brown, Jaylen Mbakwe, and Zavier Mincey — are taking steps in the right direction.”
This is huge for the Crimson Tide, especially if Wommack gets one of those three freshmen to pop as a starter.
Brown and Mbakwe are five-star athletes, while Mincey came as a four-star with exceptional length. Jones, who earned the nickname “Dae Dae” from Wommack, has changed his body in arriving to Alabama. He recorded three interceptions last year with the Demon Deacons.
Jones is in a position to take one of two boundary corner spots for the Tide in this upcoming season.
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“We talk about how experience is finite so if you can find it, it is great to have on your roster,” Wommack said about the addition of Jones to Alabama’s secondary. “He has really changed his body. You think about seniors and guys who are further down in their careers that may not be able to push as far as a freshman, but I think he’s made tremendous strides in eight weeks.”
Wommack said Jones is playing fast and with confidence to open fall camp.
“Time will tell of those guys that have not played in the SEC the last couple of years — across the board — on whether they can handle those things, but they are taking steps in the right direction against some very good skill players we have on offense,” he said.
Maurice Linguist, Alabama’s co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach, highlighted Zabien Brown after Thursday’s practice.
Linguist says the five-star goes about his process the right way and has a high respect for his craft.
“Zabien is a process guy,” Linguist said. “He has high football character. He eats it up and wants to get better. It is important to him and he has a high respect for the game of football. You protect the things you respect. You put the work in for the things you respect. His process and approach to the game is really good, and that is why you see him over and over again in good position.”
Coach Linguist raved about Brown’s eye discipline, how he wins in pre-snap, how he aligns himself properly, and how he makes plays. Brown, a product of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif., has also added weight as he’s pushing 190 pounds.
He came in at 180 in the spring.
Linguist said the addition of DaShawn Jones was Alabama ‘using the portal the right way.’
“He has had college production, he’s played in big time games, and I love what he has provided,” Linguist said about Jones. “He is a low ego guy, but he has an inner confidence about himself and he executes on the field. He has really been a great addition to the room.”
Linguist also mentioned Red Morgan, a four-star freshman, cleaning up his technique as a defensive back.
Alabama will rep several guys in the secondary before having a concrete starting rotation. The guys are starting to grow well in preseason camp, and the Tide may be just fine at cornerback.
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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.
