Why Alabama Football Rotates So Many Players on Defense

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Alabama rotates a lot of players in on defense, but there's a method to Kane Wommack's madness. There were 24 Crimson Tide players who played at least on snap on defense in the win over LSU and 25 against South Carolina.

Of the 24 defenders, there were 15 who played at least 20 snaps according to Pro Football Focus. Those numbers probably don't mean much without context. For reference, LSU played 19 different defenders against the Crimson Tide, and as a reminder, only 11 players are on the field at a time.

Nick Saban was notorious for limiting his rotations on defense and playing his best defenders for a high percentage of snaps with very few breaks. In Saban's final five matchups against LSU from 2019-2023, Alabama never played more than 20 players on defense with as few as 17 in 2022.

That makes sense, right? Of course a coach would want his top talent on the field for the most amount of time. However, Alabama's current defensive coaching staff is taking a different approach, and it is paying off so far for the Crimson Tide with a defense that ranks 13th in scoring defense and 18th in total defense.

"We try to really push ourselves to an uncomfortable position of getting guys on the field, simply because you want to make sure when you get into that game like we had against South Carolina, we played a lot of lot of players in the earlier part of that game," Wommack explained. "I think at the end, you saw some of our best players step up and make plays in big moments like Tim Keenan and Deontae Lawson. At the beginning of the season, I don't think either one of those players would have been in position to do that just from a rep-base standpoint. So we try to be mindful of that as we navigate through a game."

Keenan and Lawson have both dealt with injuries this season and have been working themselves back up to full health.

Alabama has been doing a lot of rotation along the defensive line with true freshman London Simmons, junior James Smith and redshirt senior Keenan all played 24 snaps with Edric Hill appearing for 21 snaps. Wommack said defensive line coach Freddie Roach does a good job of keeping all the linemen engaged and prepared throughout the week in practice leading up to the games.

"We try to be mindful of, like, you want to play those guys early because as the game goes on if there's one guy that has a hot hand or you know going into a game that there's a guy who is clearly the better player, you want to make sure that dude is available in the fourth quarter," Wommack said.

The rotation keeps players fresh and healthier throughout a long, grinding SEC schedule. Even though it is not the coaches' primary reason for doing so, it also keeps players happier in a transfer portal era when playing time is king.

Alabama's play on defense is a major reason why the Crimson Tide is unbeaten in SEC play and ranked No. 4 in the country with a clear path to the SEC title game and College Football Playoff.

"I think we're playing as fast as we have played to this point in the season," Wommack said. "I think the guys are playing with a good bit of confidence. They seem to really enjoy playing the game with each other. I think there's a swagger and an energy that we're playing with right now, and that needs to continue as we navigate through the regular season here."

Read more on BamaCentral: