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TAMPA, Fla. — As Kalen DeBoer began to preview his Alabama football roster at SEC Media Days, the Crimson Tide coach didn’t spent too much time on the obvious.
Two of Alabama’s three media days representatives came from the Crimson Tide defensive backfield, one overflowing with returners and experience, an area without many questions heading into fall camp.
“Just taking advantage (of) the skillsets we have on the defensive side,” DeBoer said in his opening statement, highlighting a secondary with five returning starters and many returning rotation pieces.
As fall camp nears, both safety Bray Hubbard and cornerback Zabien Brown don't need to talk much about Alabama’s secondary either. Communication is vital, yet innate in an Alabama defensive backfield that will bring a combined 3,342 snaps of experience from 2025 to 2026, per Pro Football Focus.
For Hubbard, Brown, safety Keon Sabb, cornerback Dijon Lee Jr. and Husky defensive back Red Morgan, all they need is a call before formations and expectations of one another flow.
BRAY HUBBARD, THE QB: How Bray Hubbard went from star high school QB to Alabama football DB
RYAN COLEMAN-WILLIAMS: Why Ryan Coleman-Williams represented Alabama football at SEC Media Days
“I think that's just with how much we've played together,” Hubbard said.
But trust is ever growing. The more time Brown spends with Hubbard, Sabb, Lee and Morgan, the more comfortable he is and the more he trusts them.
“We've been able to communicate more of being, me personally, more comfortable with being like, ‘What did you see right here? And when you see this, tell me that,’" Brown said. "Just little things like that, being able to build our trust definitely builds our communication.”
Given Alabama's track record across two full seasons of Kane Wommack's defense, this core five will get plenty of reps together in 2026.
Behind Hubbard and Sabb in 2025, no other safety came within 598 snaps of their totals. And once Lee and Morgan took a firm hold as starters, DaShawn Jones’ and Domani Jackson’s production took a significant dip.
That track record continues from 2024 when Malachi Moore, Jackson and Brown rarely left the field, and Hubbard received significant snaps only after Sabb’s injury.
Alabama’s defensive backs trust one another. And, therefore, the Crimson Tide trusts this group to be one of the best defensive backfields in the SEC, if not the country, no matter what happens in front of them.
“The unity that we have and the trust that we have built between all five of us back there … we just trust each other,” Hubbard. “But that also allows us to play fast.”
Alabama opens the 2026 season against East Carolina at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 5 on ABC.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter or Instagram @colingaytnews.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Trust, communication vital to experienced Alabama football defensive backs
Continue reading...
Two of Alabama’s three media days representatives came from the Crimson Tide defensive backfield, one overflowing with returners and experience, an area without many questions heading into fall camp.
“Just taking advantage (of) the skillsets we have on the defensive side,” DeBoer said in his opening statement, highlighting a secondary with five returning starters and many returning rotation pieces.
As fall camp nears, both safety Bray Hubbard and cornerback Zabien Brown don't need to talk much about Alabama’s secondary either. Communication is vital, yet innate in an Alabama defensive backfield that will bring a combined 3,342 snaps of experience from 2025 to 2026, per Pro Football Focus.
For Hubbard, Brown, safety Keon Sabb, cornerback Dijon Lee Jr. and Husky defensive back Red Morgan, all they need is a call before formations and expectations of one another flow.
BRAY HUBBARD, THE QB: How Bray Hubbard went from star high school QB to Alabama football DB
RYAN COLEMAN-WILLIAMS: Why Ryan Coleman-Williams represented Alabama football at SEC Media Days
“I think that's just with how much we've played together,” Hubbard said.
But trust is ever growing. The more time Brown spends with Hubbard, Sabb, Lee and Morgan, the more comfortable he is and the more he trusts them.
“We've been able to communicate more of being, me personally, more comfortable with being like, ‘What did you see right here? And when you see this, tell me that,’" Brown said. "Just little things like that, being able to build our trust definitely builds our communication.”
Given Alabama's track record across two full seasons of Kane Wommack's defense, this core five will get plenty of reps together in 2026.
Behind Hubbard and Sabb in 2025, no other safety came within 598 snaps of their totals. And once Lee and Morgan took a firm hold as starters, DaShawn Jones’ and Domani Jackson’s production took a significant dip.
That track record continues from 2024 when Malachi Moore, Jackson and Brown rarely left the field, and Hubbard received significant snaps only after Sabb’s injury.
Alabama’s defensive backs trust one another. And, therefore, the Crimson Tide trusts this group to be one of the best defensive backfields in the SEC, if not the country, no matter what happens in front of them.
“The unity that we have and the trust that we have built between all five of us back there … we just trust each other,” Hubbard. “But that also allows us to play fast.”
Alabama opens the 2026 season against East Carolina at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 5 on ABC.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter or Instagram @colingaytnews.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Trust, communication vital to experienced Alabama football defensive backs
Continue reading...
