At first glance, Justin Woodall jokingly wondered if Jaylen Key might have shown up in the wrong place.

Woodall, a former Alabama safety who now trains defensive backs in the Birmingham area, works with several elite defenders. However, Key’s muscular frame stands out from what he’s used to seeing in today’s secondaries.

“When I first saw the kid, I was like, ‘Dang, do you play linebacker?’” Woodall recalled of his first impression of the former UAB safety, who announced his transfer to Alabama last month.

A few reps later, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound defender showed why he should have no problem fitting into the Crimson Tide’s secondary.

“When he got out there and started moving, I saw him doing some drills, it’s like ‘OK this guy has some twitch most guys his size don’t have,’” Woodall said. “Him being 6-2, 215 and still having that twitch that he has, that really stood out to me. He’s not one of those slow-moving big guys. Just coming out of his breaks, I thought at his size it’d take a little longer, but he really gets out of his breaks. I played at 230, 225 when I was at Alabama. I didn’t have that kind of twitch at that size.”

Key made a habit of surprising people with his athleticism during a breakout season for UAB last year. Starting eight games over 13 appearances, he tied for the team lead with three interceptions while finishing third with 60 tackles. His physical frame held up nicely in run defense, allowing him to record 4.5 stops for a loss and a pair of forced fumbles. He was also able to keep up in coverage, holding opposing passers to a 56.8 NFL quarterback rating on 33 balls thrown his way, according to Pro Football Focus.

“He carries a chip on his shoulder,” Woodall said. “He’s not shy by any means. He don’t talk as much, but he still talks. He isn’t backing down from no competition.”

Key should bring versatility to an Alabama secondary looking to replace four of the five members of last year’s preferred nickel unit. The UAB graduate transfer spent the majority of his snaps lined up in the box last season but is more than capable of manning a spot at deep safety as well. Alabama has openings at both spots after losing Jordan Battle, Brian Branch and DeMarcco Hellams to the NFL this offseason.

“Me, I could see him playing safety. But in our defense, it can be either way,” Woodall said. “He might be in the box some. He might be in the middle of the field some. You never know in Coach Saban’s defense. From what I’ve seen, he should be able to handle anything they ask him to do.”

Woodall played at Alabama from 2006-09 and was part of the changing of guard between Mike Shula and Nick Saban in 2007. The former Crimson Tide safety admits it took him a little time to fully master Saban’s complex set of calls and checks. However, from what he’s seen of Key, he expects him to have an easier time getting acclimated into Alabama’s defense.

“You can tell he’s a grad transfer because of how well he takes coaching,” Woodall said. “He’s a smart kid, and he learns pretty past. The stuff I do can be kind of irritating for DBs because I kind of break it all the way down to foot placement to staying in rhythm, using your arm. By now, he already understands all the concepts. I’m just trying to get him in the right technique to break to the ball as fast as he can.”

Along with Key, Woodall is working with several of Alabama’s current defensive backs, including Kool-Aid McKinstry, Malachi Moore, Terrion Arnold, Kristen Story, Caleb Downs and Tony Mitchell. While Key is already getting to know his new teammates through summer workouts, the additional sessions with Woodall only help in strengthening the bond between the unit.

“I think them guys being able to work in the summer, they’re going to have real good communication with each other,” Woodall said. “Playing safety at Alabama, that’s a must. If you don’t communicate on Nick Saban’s field, you’re not going to play. They have some veterans in Kool-Aid, Malachi and Terrion, and Jaylen is also an older guy as well. I think they’ll be in pretty good shape.”

Woodall believes this year’s secondary could be one of the deepest Saban’s ever had at Alabama. McKinstry, Arnold and Moore all return with extended starting experience under their belt while redshirt freshman Earl Little Jr. and Downs, a true freshman, both excelled this spring while spending time with the first-team unit. In addition to Key, Alabama also brought in Louisiana-Lafayette Trey Amos to add more depth to the unit.

Regardless of how Key’s role plays out in that group, Woodall believes he won’t look out of place in Alabama’s secondary this season.

“He’s SEC caliber,” Woodall said. “He’s ready to go.”