Alabama is expected to have one of the top defenses in college football for the 2025 season.
There are a plethora of players returning that were starters a season ago. Two of those players are safeties Keon Sabb and Bray Hubbard.
Hubbard and Sabb are the projected starters for the Tide at the safety positions this upcoming season.
One of the most fascinating things about Alabama’s projected starting safeties is that one replaced the other last season due to injury.
Sabb suffered a season-ending injury against Tennessee in Week 7. As a result, Hubbard was thrust into a starting role to replace Sabb.
Hubbard took advantage of the opportunity and provided a huge boost to Alabama’s defense. The Mississippi native finished the season with 57 tackles, which ranked fifth-most on the team last season. In addition, he recorded three interceptions and one forced fumble in the final six games of the season.
The 6-foot-2, 208-pounder is a physical safety, who should be able to replace the physicality Malachi Moore brought to the Tide’s secondary. He is effective at making open-field tackles and getting players on the ground without any help from his teammates. He also can tap back into his high school roots and his days lining up at quarterback while patrolling the backend of Alabama’s defense when he diagnoses where a quarterback is headed with the football and gets a jump on the play.
Sabb recorded 39 tackles and two interceptions in just seven games. He was on pace to finish second on the team in tackles and first on the team in interceptions if he would have been able to stay healthy.
The New Jersey product is a long safety, mostly known for his ability to cover. He has flashed an ability to be effective at blitzing and making okays close to the line of scrimmage but shines the brightest when he is able to be a ball-hawking safety. He has to build more so of a cornerback with his long arms despite only being listed at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds.
An interesting thing to note is that Sabb and Hubbard will be starting alongside one another for the first time in 2025. Hubbard will be able to return to his natural position at strong safety while Sabb will return to free safety.
Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack runs a very detail-oriented defense that features multiple stunts, personnel groupings, and different looks. Hubbard and Sabb can both be used in a variety of different ways given their level of versatility and playmaking ability. Not to mention, the pair forced six turnovers combined during the 2024 season. That is impressive given the fact that Hubbard assumed a starting role at the halfway point of the season and Sabb missed the second half of the season.
They each have a year of starting experience under their belt. With the SEC being more difficult than ever, that experience will be vital to the continued development of both players.
Wommack’s defense is centered around putting players in the best position to make winning plays. Hubbard and Sabb made several winning plays for the Crimson Tide during the 2024 season. Now, the two of them will have the opportunity to do it alongside one another in 2025.
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Brody Smoot is a team reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “follow” him on X, via @brodysmoot.
