The Alabama defensive back who ‘created value’ for himself to earn more snaps

Chuck McDonald has placed himself in a position to play more snaps for the Crimson Tide during a critical stretch.

McDonald earned a spot in the Tide’s secondary rotation during fall camp.

The defensive back signed with Alabama as a cornerback out of Mater Dei High School in California. Since arriving in Tuscaloosa, he has shown he can do more than just contribute outside at cornerback. This is why he was listed as a husky defensive back for the Tide in Alabama’s first depth chart to start the season.

Alabama’s husky position is a hybrid safety role that calls upon the players playing it to be good in coverage, great against the run and efficient at getting after the quarterback when called upon to blitz. The poition is one of the more versatile in Kane Wommack’s scheme.

McDonald had his biggest impact as a defensive back for the Tide against Texas A&M a couple of weeks ago when he was called upon to expand his role, with Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. being suspended before the game and Red Morgan getting ejected due to a targeting call. The defensive back was expected to play more outside at cornerback against the Aggies with Zabien Brown being down. Morgan leaving the game early forced McDonald inside.

“We had prepped him to play primarily outside that week,” Wommack said. “And then obviously he had to go inside with Red being down and a couple other scenarios and situations. So from that standpoint, he got in there, battled, made a couple of plays. And guys that can show their versatility in the moment, right, that really matters. That’s important. Guys being able to do multiple things for us, especially as you look down the line here, everybody’s banged up, right? You’re going to have less bodies as you get to the end of the season, the regular season. And so guys that can step up in those moments create value for themselves, and they create value for the football team. And certainly Chuck did that last week.”

McDonald finished the game with one interception and three tackles in Alabama’s win over Texas A&M.

Chuck McDonald went down low to get the INT. 🌊 https://t.co/sx598yG2Lk

— Touchdown Alabama (@TDAlabamaMag) October 24, 2026