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A total of nine freshmen showed up somewhere on the two-deep depth chart Alabama released Monday morning. Punter Skyler DeLong and defensive back Patrick Surtain II were the two lone starters but likely won’t be the only newcomers to feature during Alabama’s season-opener against Louisville. Here are five freshmen to watch heading into Saturday’s game.
Patrick Surtain II, defensive backÂ
Surtain is listed as a co-starter with JUCO transfer Saivion Smith at cornerback. When Alabama’s defense takes the field for the first time Saturday, it will likely be Smith who lines up on the opposite side of the field from fellow starting cornerback Trevon Diggs. However, don’t be surprised if Surtain finds his way onto the field at some point early on in the game.
While Surtain is only listed as an outside cornerback on Alabama’s depth chart, he has also been seen working at the Star position out of the nickel package this offseason. The 6-foot-2, 202-pound defensive back has the speed to keep up with faster receivers but can also get physical with bigger targets over the middle.
Surtain was the top cornerback in the 2018 class and is the son of three-time NFL Pro Bowler Patrick Surtain who coached him during high school. It will be interesting to see if that NFL pedigree allows the freshman to transition quicker into Alabama’s defense.
