Alabama transfer cornerback set to ‘elevate his role’

Alabama football’s defensive back Carmelo O’Neal could be seeing some more snaps come his way in the near future.

O’Neal transferred to Alabama from Mercer after the 2025 season. He actually jumped on the Crimson Tide’s radar when Mercer took on Auburn. Once he entered the portal, Alabama immediately jumped on him.

“We were watching Auburn, and they had played Mercer the week before, and I was like, ‘Damn, who is this long DB that they got at Mercer?’” Alabama Defensive Coordinator Kane Wommack said during the spring. “And then, Mo [Maurice Linguist] and our recruiting staff, we found him through our transfer portal evaluations, and kid’s great. He’s hungry. He wants to take a step forward. He knows that there’s some things from a fundamental standpoint that he can grow in, and he’s like a sponge right now. I mean, you teach him something, he picks up on it really fast.”

The Tide’s defensive coordinator likes the way O’Neal is developing in Tuscaloosa.

“Melo just steadily getting better and better every single week,” Wommack said. “He’s played anywhere from, I think, maybe 16 to 18 snaps all the way to about 25 snaps a game. So, he’s been in there consistently. But really impressed by what he was able to do in the 2nd half and the way he stepped up, and he will continue to elevate his role moving forward. So I think he’s trending in the right direction.”

O’Neal has ten total tackles and one pass breakup on the season. He has contributed mainly at cornerback and on special teams.

It will be interesting to see what role O’Neal carves out for himself moving forward.