Pete Golding Praises Dylan Moses, Leadership on Defense
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama football defensive coordinator had a lot to say about his team's leadership in a conference call with the media on Thursday evening.
Golding enters his second season as the Crimson Tide's defensive coordinator after serving as the inside linebackers coach in 2018.
During his press conference, Golding heaped praise on senior linebacker Dylan Moses, who opted to return for his senior season after missing the entirety of 2019 due to a knee injury suffered during fall camp prior to the season.
“What a man,” Golding said. “This offseason during those Zooms he had his pen and paper out every day, getting the freshman on there quizzing them, sending tests. When he decided to come back it was that Dylan that I saw that day after practice and he said ‘If I come back, I’m all in and I’m going to bring everybody with me’ and so that’s been really awesome to see.”
Golding also lamented Moses' injury from last fall camp, saying that it was tough for the linebacker after working very hard prior to the 2019 season.
“A lot of ups and downs,” Golding said. “Obviously I’ve got a great coaching relationship with Dylan being close to home. That was a tough year for him. I think obviously the expectations going into the year, the media hype, them knowing what a good player he was, but also the amount of work that he had put in that spring and that summer going into that fall.”
Due to Moses' absence in 2019, Alabama was forced to play two young linebackers in true freshmen Christian Harris and Shane Lee. This season sees the return of Moses, who Golding believes can provide the leadership the young players on the Crimson Tide's defense needs.
Golding recalled a story regarding Moses as an example of his leadership on the field.
“It was the day before he got hurt, it was the first time we meet as linebackers after practice, this was the first time I ever saw him grab somebody by the face mask and really get in their stuff and let them know ‘That’s not how we do it here,’" Golding recalled. "And that’s what I had been waiting on. That’s what we had been waiting on. I think as a coach you can say whatever you want until you’re player-lead and you got to do a good job of getting them to that but until you have a guy to be able to do that — and that’s what those young guys needed last year, we were a young room and they wanted somebody to be able to do that for them and for them to follow. And that was the first time since I had been here for him. I really saw him wear his emotions on his sleeve and just pour it out. He came to my office after practice and I said ‘Look, that’s it, man. That is it. You busted your butt and you’ve done everything you were supposed to up to this point, but if he doesn’t it don’t matter. You’ve got to bring the other 10 guys with you and you’ve got to get them invested with you.
“It was just unfortunate for him that that next day for him was when he had the injury.”
Moses wasn't the only Alabama defender that received praise from their leadership skills, though.
Linebackers redshirt-senior Ben Davis and redshirt-junior Christopher Allen have both put in work this offseason, according to Golding. When asked for an update on the players, Golding proceeded to admire the leadership they've expressed during the first three days of fall camp.
“When I hear those two names after this offseason and this summer and the first three days of camp [and of] practice, man those guys have taken a leadership role,” Golding said. “They’ve worked their rear ends off, they’ve been in here studying, they’ve worked with the young guys on Zoom and it’s really nice right now. Those two guys are like coaches on the field. That’s been a big, big help to these young guys in that room that are talented that can play and for them to take them under their wing has been really nice. Both of them have a lot of experience and played a position for a long time. Obviously when you’re young in the secondary or at least experienced in the secondary you gotta be able to bring some pass rush and you can’t do that always by sending a 5 or 6 because now you’re asking those young guys to cover really good players and so obviously creating a four-man rush is still getting pressure on the pocket and containing the quarterback is obviously nice to have.
"I think both Chris and Ben have the ability to do that on base in regular downs and then in third down we’re going to get our best guys on the field.”
Last season, the Alabama defense was widely criticized by both fans and media for having a down year in 2019. In total defense, the Crimson Tide finished the season ranked 20th in the nation, a far cry from what is typically expected from the players wearing crimson and white.
This season, however, shows a defense that is strengthened by the return of Moses as well as greater leadership across the board — something that was lacking last season.
As the 2020 season approaches, it will interesting to see if Golding's confidence in his defense's leadership will be able to equate to a better team on the field this year.
