The more we hear about Alabama’s defense from coaches and players, the more excited we become about what Kalen DeBoer, Kane Wommack, and the Crimson Tide will do this season.
Wommack has restored fun to the Crimson Tide’s inside linebackers, his defense has cornerbacks playing with confidence, and the defensive line looks to return to being dominant. Alabama’s offense is expected to be elite, but people inside the program are chirping about the defense.
Wommack has two players that are ‘ideal’ for what he wants at the Bandit position as a defensive end.
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Jah-Marien Latham and LT Overton are very athletic.
Latham, a redshirt senior from Reform, Ala., came to the Tide as a five-star in the 2020 signing class.
Alabama Defensive Lineman Jah-Marien Latham (20) runs drills during practice at Thomas-Drew Practice Fields in Tuscaloosa, AL on Thursday, Aug 1, 2024.
He is one of few players with a College Football Playoff National Championship ring. The 6-foot-3, 278-pounder has waited his time behind several linemen, yet he is prepared to seize the moment.
Latham’s experience puts him in the category of a super senior; however, he is more than capable of stopping running backs and pressuring quarterbacks.
He has played in 31 career games across four years, posting 13 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, six quarterback hurries, and a pass breakup. His best production came in 2023 with eight stops, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, four quarterback hurries, and a breakup in 14 games.
Overton, a transfer from Texas A&M, is in his first fall camp at Alabama.
Alabama Defensive Lineman LT Overton (22) in action at Mal. M. Moore Athletic Facility in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Wednesday, Aug 7, 2024.
Photo by Kent Gidley
He was one of the electric five stars Jimbo Fisher signed in his top-ranked 2022 recruiting class for the Aggies. The native Georgian recorded 48 tackles, three tackles for loss, and a sack across 23 games (four starts) in two years at Texas A&M.
He arrived at 265 pounds, but Overton added 18 pounds to his 6’5″ frame in the summer. The 283-pound game wrecker is prepared to show college football what he can do up front. Overton has a point to prove and is excited about playing in Wommack’s simplified defense. Wommack shared with reporters on Tuesday that Overton is a refined pass rusher.
Alabama fans, keep your eyes on LT Overton and Jah-Marien Latham this season.
Kane Wommack said both players are “ideal” fits at the Bandit position up front. He said Overton has “honed in” on his pass rush ability, but both are 280-pound “ass kickers.”@TDAlabamaMag pic.twitter.com/ye9VWwxKfT
— Stephen M. Smith (@CoachingMSmith) August 13, 2024
“LT (Overton) has a great skill set,” Wommack said.
“You can tell he has honed in on his pass rush ability. He’s got great complementary answers to his fastball. He is a great speed-to-power rusher, but he has done it a million times throughout his life. He can feel whether the offensive lineman is on his top hip or his bottom hip and know how to counter back inside or outside, so he is a great on body rusher. When he gets into a man, he knows how to counter back very quickly. He is also 280 pounds and can move his feet so those things are challenging for an offensive lineman.”
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Latham and Overton are pushing each other for the starting job at Bandit. The four-down linemen in Wommack’s 4-2-5 alignment are the Bandit (defensive end), defensive tackle, nose tackle, and Wolf (outside linebacker/defensive end).
“That makes things really challenging to establish runs to the field when you got a 280-pound a— kicker over there.”
Kane Wommack on Jah-Marien Latham and LT Overton lining up in the ‘Bandit’ position within Alabama’s defense. pic.twitter.com/xSnBo6Sl5P
— Touchdown Alabama (@TDAlabamaMag) August 13, 2024
“I think him (Overton) and Zeebo (Latham) are really the frame, that’s the ideal,” Wommack said.
“That person has to play a 4i, they have to play a 5-technique, a 9-technique, and occasionally they will fall back inside on run fits. They can do a lot of different things, but I am impressed with their athleticism. I mean, those guys, they can really move. They do a good job to be that big, so from a prototype Bandit or field defensive end … it makes things really challenge to establish runs to the field when you have a 280-pound ass kicker over there.”
Latham and Overton are playmaker that will get several reps throughout the season.
Overton said he likes the Bandit role for its flexibility, but he’s also changed up his game.
“Even though there are plays where I have my hand in the dirt, I can still stand up because some plays I will be dropping or I folding into the B-gap,” he said.
“It brings a lot of versatility to my game. I have changed my game from being a speed guy at A&M to putting on more pounds and muscle at Alabama. I feel like using finesse, finesse, finesse, and then surprise them with power. That has been my philosophy when it comes to pass rush. Even on a run, you can hit a quick move to get around them, but then you still have that power.”
Wommack has two of his Bandits ready and is working on Keon Keeley to be a third.
Latham and Overton are going to have fun in this defense.
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Stephen M. Smith is the senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
