What Alabama football’s star cornerback feels separates him as an elite defensive playmaker

Photo via Alabama Athletics

Alabama football’s Zabien Brown is considered to be one of the best cornerbacks in college football ahead of the 2026 college football season.

Brown has produced some of the biggest defensive takeaways the Crimson Tide has had over the last few seasons. He was the other freshman hero against Georgia when he pulled in the game-sealing interception in 2024. He shifted the Tide’s game against Tennessee last season when he intercepted a pass and took it 99 yards for a touchdown at the end of the first half, and he repeated those actions against Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff to tie the game before the half.

The California native feels his ability to be a defensive playmaker can be attributed to a lot of different factors, but it first starts with the confidence he has in himself.

“It’s a trust and a belief in yourself, honestly, being able to pull the trigger,” Brown said at SEC Media Days. “I feel like my instincts are one of my strong suits and being able to play into that and pulling the trigger. I feel like that’s kind of, that’s what separates players.”

Brown is not the only one who believes in his abilities. His teammates have just as much confidence in him.

“Dude plays ball.” Bray Hubbard said when asked about Brown. “He’s one of the best in the country. He can be overlooked and everything like that, but he’s still going to go out there and play his role and play to the best of his ability and show everybody what he can do. He’s going to prove everybody wrong. We all do that. We have to do it every single day.”

Brown was named to the Preseason All-SEC First Team on Friday.