The cornerback position was a sore spot for Alabama’s defense in 2021 and during the offseason.
Coach Nick Saban grabbed Eli Ricks from the transfer portal and had confidence in redshirt freshman Terrion Arnold having a marquee impact. Crimson Tide fans have not seen Ricks much, but Arnold has had good moments. Alabama wants to run the table in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference, advance to the SEC Championship Game, and win a national championship in the College Football Playoff. It has to get better performances from its secondary to accomplish all goals.
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We could see some changes on the backend versus Mississippi State; however, the Tide has found one constant.
Kool-Aid McKinstry took his licks as a rookie, but the sophomore from Birmingham is becoming Alabama’s most consistent cornerback. Hendon Hooker of Tennessee did not attack McKinstry last week because of his sound coverage. He leads the Tide with seven pass breakups and looks to continue to dominate on Saturday. McKinstry is also one of the nation’s best punt return specialists, averaging 17.7 yards per return. Saban highlighted his defensive back in his weekly radio show on Thursday.
“Kool-Aid’s played well for us all year long,” Saban said. “I think his consistency in performance has been one of the better guys on defense. He hasn’t given up a lot of explosive plays.”
Pro Football Focus, a website that dives into the analytics of players, agrees with Saban on McKinstry. He grades out at 75.7 overall as a cornerback, including a 73.1 output in coverage. McKinstry’s earned a 79.7 grade against the run on 425 total snaps.
McKinstry has 252 coverage snaps. He has a higher coverage grade than Brian Branch (72.4) and is a little lower than Jordan Battle (77.4). The 6-foot-1, 188-pounder will continue to improve before his time comes for the NFL Draft.
For now, he wants to shut down Mississippi State’s passing attack.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
