Sure Tackler Brian Branch is a Hit in Alabama's Secondary
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Bryce Young ripped up Alabama’s record books last season while Will Anderson Jr. piled up more sacks and tackles for a loss than any player in the Nick Saban era. Both standout seasons have been rightly recognized and rewarded. However, there’s one statistical performance that seems to have passed us by.
Sure, Young’s passing yards are impressive, and Anderson’s ability to hunt down quarterbacks makes him well worthy of his "Terminator" nickname. However, those two weren’t able to match the perfection Brian Brian pulled off in his sophomore season.
According to Pro Football Focus, Branch led all college defenders with a 92.0 tackling grade, registering 56 stops without letting a single ball carrier slip his grasp. Standout Georgia tight end Brock Bowers couldn’t shake him, neither could powerful Auburn running back Tank Bigsby. Branch also blew up a few quarterbacks, including Florida’s Emory Jones and Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder.
In fact, the hard-hitting defensive back can't even recall the last ball-carrier who escaped one of his blows.
“Coach Saban knows,” he said with a smile when asked to try Tuesday.
According to PFF, Branch’s last missed tackle came during the Rose Bowl victory over Norte Dame in the 2020 season. So far that’s his only slip-up in his two seasons with the Crimson Tide.
“I take a lot of pride in it,” Branch said of his ability to wrap up defenders. “Coming from high school that’s one area where I wanted to focus on in my game. I think I've come a long way in that area.”
While Branch’s tackling percentage is impeccable, it’s how he brings down his opposition that has drawn plaudits from his teammates. Last week, Alabama safety Jordan Battle listed Branch alongside DeMarcco Hellams as the two hardest hitters in the Crimson Tide’s secondary.
“Those are probably the two hard head hitters,” Battle said. “Think they have concussions or something. They need to check themselves. They’re hitting too hard.”
Branch is too humble to sing his own praises, but even isn’t arguing with his teammate's assessment.
“I kind of agree with it,” he said when asked about Battle’s remarks, “as far as taking pride in it, it’s just something that happens.”
Last season, Slade Bolden described going against Branch in practice as a “task.” Even then, the former Alabama receiver seldom had to deal with taking hits from the defensive back after he had built up a head of steam. Things are a bit different for running back Trey Sanders, who often meets the charging defender after clearing the line of scrimmage.
That makes for a few epic collisions.
“Being a running back here at the University of Alabama, they’ve got hard hitters on defense, we’ve got hard hitters on offense,” Sanders said. “Just like they’ve got a mentality to take a person’s head off on defense, we’ve got the same mentality on offense. It’s just competing every day. I love it.”
Sanders might enjoy the hard hits, but he doesn’t have to deal with them when it actually matters on Saturdays. For the rest of the SEC, avoiding Branch's blows is far less fun.
A look back at Branch's big hits
Photo | Brad McClenny/The Gainesville Sun via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Photo | Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Photo | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK
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