How Kane Wommack Plans to Handle Alabama's Defensive Back Depth

The Crimson Tide has 13 players in the secondary who aim to make an impact this season.

Alabama Cornerback Zabien Brown (2) in action against South Carolina at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL on Saturday, Oct 12, 2024. | Photo by Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Nick Saban's retirement from coaching created a lot of outgoing transfers from Alabama several months before the 2024 season.

Many position groups were impacted by this, but perhaps the defensive backs faced the most turnover. The secondary under Kalen DeBoer, Saban's successor, still made big plays last season as Alabama's 1.3 interceptions per game was good for fifth in the country.

Fast forward to today, Alabama has a few players expected to be starters, but the amount of depth could see some others rotate in as the Tide has 13 candidates. So, how will defensive coordinator Kane Wommack handle the secondary during games?

"I'll use as many (defensive backs) that are ready to go, that we trust," Wommack said on Saturday during Day 3 of fall camp. "If you think about the scope of trust, it's 'OK, these are the top five players in our defense, from a defensive back standpoint, who (else) can play to the same level that a starter can? And if that backup guy can play to the same level the starter can, then he deserves to be on the field."

Wommack said on April 15 that “We have something that we didn't have a year ago, which is depth in our backfield." He's very excited about this as he now has plenty of players to work with in the secondary.

"We've got positions where I think we have multiple starters for one position, or guys we will rotate consistently. I don't know that I can put a number on that right now. A year ago, going into the Tennessee game, when we had five guys who went down, we only played six guys for five positions, primarily, when it mattered. I think we can play significantly more than that (this year)."

The offseason additions give Wommack and second-year defensive backs coach Maurice Linguist "some bodies that (he) can work with." That being said, the secondary is made up of a plethora of sizes, speeds and strengths with numerous players having a healthy mix of these three assets—which is key for Alabama's defense.

Projected Depth Chart

Cornerback
1. Domani Jackson & Zabien Brown
2. Cam Calhoun & Dijon Lee Jr.
3. DaShawn Jones & Chuck McDonald III

Nickel - Husky
1. DaShawn Jones
2. Red Morgan / Zavier Mincey

Free Safety
1. Keon Sabb
2. Zavier Mincey
3. Kameron Howard

Strong Safety
1. Bray Hubbard
2. Dre Kirkpatrick Jr.
3. Ivan Taylor