These 4 Alabama defensive players are making it hard on the Tide’s offense in fall camp

Alabama football is grinding through the early part of fall camp, and multiple Crimson Tide defensive players are challenging the Alabama offense to be at their best.

Alabama’s offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb was asked Monday which Tide defensive players have been the hardest to block, and he mentioned two trench defenders and two members of the Alabama secondary.

“We got a couple of good guys on defense,” Grubb said. “DT (Devan Thompkins) has been phenomenal as a player. He plays out on the edge. He will play in the B gap on you. He is a really tough player. He’s super versatile. Obviously, Yhonzae (Pierre), think the world of him. I thought early in camp, I just saw Yhonzae take it to another level. He’s done a great job. Red Morgan, I think, is fantastic off the edge as a nickel. I think he is one of the most slippery guys I’ve seen out there, and obviously Hub (Bray Hubbard), when he pressures, is really tough to block as well.

Thompkins transferred to Alabama from USC after the 2025 football season. As a Trojan, he had 56 total tackles, nine tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in three years of meaningful action. Pierre returned to Alabama after a breakout season. The Alabama native had 14.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks last year.

Morgan is expected to start at the husky position for the Tide in teh secondary. The position is called upon to blitz at times, so Morgan is expected to know how to get the quarterback. Hubbard plays in the box quite a bit within the Tide’s defensive scheme, and it is no surprise he is hard to block.