Alabama enters the spring still looking for its quarterback on defense
The key talking point in Tuscaloosa this spring will revolve around the quarterback position as Alabama attempts to find a replacement for Mac Jones following his record-setting season behind center. However, the Crimson Tide also finds itself in need of a new signal-caller on the other side of the ball.
Like Jones, Dylan Moses is also making way for the NFL this offseason, leaving a void in the heart of Alabama’s defense. Taking over the Mike linebacker position last year, Moses led the team with 80 tackles while, more importantly, serving as the Tide’s signal-caller on defense.
So who takes on those duties this year? Senior Jaylen Moody served as Moses’ primary backup at Will linebacker last year, while junior Shane Lee started at the position two years ago during his debut season.
Last week, Nick Saban was asked if there would possibly be plans of moving starting Will linebacker Christian Harris to the Mike role, a transition Moses made last season.
The head coach called it “a really good question,” just not one he plans on answering any time soon.
“I mean we do things differently in the spring,” Saban said while working himself up into a mild frustration. “I know you guys want answers to all the questions. We play right and left safety. We play right and left outside backer. We play right and left inside backer, so they have to be Mike and they have to be Will. I mean, so we’re trying to create diversity in players, not trying to give you an answer so you can write about who the starter is everywhere.”
In short, Alabama will be holding a competition for its defensive quarterback in addition to the battle behind center.
Saban said he plans on rotating Harris, Moody and Lee across the Mike role this spring before settling in on a plan this fall. Cross-training is nothing new at Alabama, especially during the spring when the staff has time to safeguard against potential injuries in the fall.
It’s also worth noting that Alabama could very well be in this situation again next year when Harris figures to be projected as a first-round pick and Moody is set to graduate. As Saban pointed out, the other good thing about spring experimentation is “next year you can get the next best guy in the game because he can play Mike or Will.”
Regardless of who Alabama goes with at the position, it should be in decent shape. Monday, Harris said he had some involvement in calling out plays to the defense last season while stating that he’s working toward being a better communicator this year.
“I think I did a pretty good job with trying to communicate the calls and stuff,” he said, “but we’re on to a new year and I’m trying to be more of a leader and have that leadership role on the team and be more vocal to the guys and get the call out across the board.”
While Alabama has seen linebackers such as Moses and Mack Wilson transition to Mike linebacker later in their careers, there’s no rule stating that Harris has to follow suit. Moody looked promising during his playing time at the position last year, tallying 18 stops while forcing a fumble. Despite struggling with injuries last year, Lee is also a viable option as he earned SEC All-Freshman honors while tallying 86 stops in the role two seasons ago.
“Since I got here, Day 1 of my freshman year, it’s been endless completion with me and Shane and other linebackers in the linebacker room, so none of that’s ever changed,” Harris said. “These guys come in every day and put in the same amount of work as I do so I’m really excited to see what this year has in store for us.”
Alabama will hold its second of 15 spring practices on Monday afternoon. From there, the Tide will take part in its first of two pro days on Tuesday before resuming practice on Wednesday.
