5x5: The Best Alabama Safeties During the Nick Saban Era

Five different ways to rate the top players at each position for the Crimson Tide during the greatest dynasty in college football history.

Since 2012, the Alabama Crimson Tide has had 28 interception returns for a touchdown, the most of any program in college football. 

Most of them were by safeties. Minkah Fitzpatrick holds the Alabama record with four, with Eddie Jackson and Jordan Battle both having three. 

Fitzpatrick also holds the Crimson Tide mark for the longest interception return in program history, one that will never be topped at 100 yards, at Arkansas on Oct. 8, 2016. Yet Jackson holds the season and career records for return yards off picks, with 230 in 2015, and 303 from 2013-16, respectively. Naturally, Fitzpatrick is second in both categories.

Alabama only had one pick-six last season, by linebacker Will Anderson Jr. against Louisiana Monroe, but it's been a key part of the defense's identity since Nick Saban arrived in 2007. Overall, the Crimson Tide has had 39 interception returns for a touchdown during the 15-year span. 

When linebacker Dallas Turner picked up a fumble and returned it 11 yards into the end zone at Tennessee last season, it was Alabama's 90th non-offensive touchdown of the Saban era. Of course, that's also the most of any program. 

It peaked in 2016, when Alabama recorded a single-season record 15 non-offensive touchdowns, which led the Football Bowl Subdivision and was the most by a team in over 20 years. 

Incredibly, the Crimson Tide notched a non-offensive score in 10 straight games, dating from the CFP semifinal against Michigan State on Dec. 31, 2015, to the Texas A&M game on Oct. 22, 2016, during which it scored 14 times. The breakdown was four interceptions, four punt returns, five fumble recoveries and a kickoff return.

Alabama's safeties during the 2016 season? Fitzpatrick at star (which we count with the safeties since its an interior position in the secondary), Jackson at strong before suffering a fractured leg, and Ronnie Harrison at free.  

The Best Alabama Safeties of the Nick Saban Era

Five different ways to rate the top players at each position for the Crimson Tide during the greatest dynasty in college football history.

Recruiting 

The top 5 safety prospects when signing with the Crimson Tide:

1. Caleb Downs, 2023
2. Landon Collins, 2012
3. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix,2011
4. Terrion Arnold, 2021
5. Deionte Thompson, 2015

The next five ... 

Hootie Jones, 2014
Xavier McKinney, 2017
Jordan Battle, 2019
Brian Branch, 2020
DeMarcco Hellams, 2019

Alabama Athletics

Key Statistic 

Most Interceptions for a Touchdown

Game: Minkah Fitzpatrick vs. Texas A&M, 2015, 2
Season: Eight players tied with two, all but one was a safety (C.J. Mosley)
Career: Minkah Fitzpatrick, 2015-17, 4

Most Interception Returns for a Touchdown Since 2012

1. Alabama 28
2. Ohio State 27
3. Iowa 25
4. Louisiana Tech 25
5. Utah 25

Alabama Athletics

Awards

We've highlighted a few players who have won multiple national awards. At safety, it's Minkah Fitzpatrick. 

• Chuck Bednarik Award (2017)
• Jim Thorpe Award (2017)
• Unanimous All-American (2017)
• Consensus All-American (2016)

Consensus All-Americans

• Mark Barron 2011 (unanimous selection)
• Ha Ha Clinton-Dix 2013
• Landon Collins 2014 (unanimous selection)
• Minkah Fitzpatrick 2016 and 2017 (unanimous selection)
• Deionte Thompson, 2018

NFL Draft 

1. Mark Barron, 2012, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, first round, seventh overall
2. Minkah Fitzpatrick, 2018, Miami Dolphins, first round, 11^th overall
3. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, 2014, Green Bay Packers, first round, 21st overall
4. Landon Collins, 2015, New York Giants, second round, 33^rd overall
5. Xavier McKinney, 2020, New York Giants, second round, 36^th overall

Also in the top 50, Brian Branch, 2023, Detroit Lions, second round, 45^th overall

T.G. Paschal/BamaCentral

Overall 

1. Minkah Fitzpatrick 
2. Landon Collins
3. Mark Barron 
4. Eddie Jackson 
5. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix 

This is the ninth story in the 5x5 series, which will continue throughout July. Check out:

Offense

Centers
Tackles
Guards
Tight ends

Defense

Defensive ends
Interior linebackers
Cornerbacks

Special Teams