He will put together Alabama’s best rotation of players at dime in the secondary, but Nick Saban is very confident in the two starting safeties for the Crimson Tide.
This season presents a big opportunity for Daniel Wright as a redshirt junior, but Jordan Battle is bringing everything together in his sophomore year. He played well through 13 games (four starts) in 2019, posting 30 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, one pass breakup, one interception and one fumble recovery.
The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder arrived as a four-star in Alabama’s 2019 signing class, but Patrick Surtain II stated on Tuesday that Battle is ‘evolving into a leadership role.’
RELATED: Alabama’s Jordan Battle ‘becoming more vocal’ in the secondary, according to Patrick Surtain
“He’s taken a very big step this year,” Surtain said of Battle. “He’s more vocal out there. He is developing into the best player he can be. He’s flying around out there and we expect great things from him. He is doing well.”
The experience he got has built confidence in the native Floridian. According to Nick Saban, Battle’s attention to details has other guys playing better too.
*Saban talks Jordan Battle at 3:00 mark
“Jordan has played well,” Saban said to reporters on Wednesday. “He had a really good last scrimmage. I think he had the most point production of anybody on defense. He made a lot of plays, forced a fumble, recovered a fumble, tackled really well in the game, played physical and did not have a lot of mental errors. So, he is playing with a lot of confidence.”
Coming from a program like St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Battle was prepared for the big stage.
He has incredible range at the safety position and after showing it versus Duke in last year’s season opener, he is in line to create multiple turnovers against opposing offenses. The best friend to an attacking secondary is a consistent pass rush, but having stellar play on the back end is really good.
Battle is locked in to bringing that type of action, starting with Missouri.
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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.
