TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama’s freshman defensive backs have been thrown into the fire at times this season. Zabien Brown had earned a starting cornerback role while Zavier Mincey has been deployed in several positions in the secondary as Alabama has battled injuries and looked to make the most of its depth this season.
Both Brown and Micney have had strong moments in their first college seasons. The pair arrived at Alabama in has highly rated cornerbacks in the Class of 2024 but have taken slightly different paths to get playing time this season. Mincey hasn’t locked down a starting spot like Brown has but seems to have found his future position as he looks to expand his long-term role at Alabama.
According to Pro Football Focus, Mincey was deployed at safety on seven of the 13 defensive snaps he saw in Alabama’s 52-7 win over Mercer. It’s a position he’s started to be used more in this season and a spot he’s always had the potential to play thanks to his taller 6-foot-3, 180-pound frame.
“We made a little bit of a switch to put him at safety,” Alabama defensive backs coach Maurice Linguist said. “He’s taken to it really well. He’s moving around good and I think from an evaluation standpoint it's always a reminder — find long, athletic guys that can run and make plays and we’ll find a place for you to go to play for us on the field and he’s certainly done that.”
Mincey’s versatility has allowed him to find more playing time in his first season and suggests he has a future at safety as he looks to become a bigger part of Alabama’s plans. Mincey logged a 72.6 coverage grade from PFF against Mercer, his highest of the season and had a pass deflection. Though it’s a small sample size so far, Mincey has also been a productive tackler and has seven on the season to pair with an 85 grade from PFF.
Unlike his freshman counterpart, Brown has stuck at the cornerback spot. But like Mincey has grown tremendously in his first season. Brown burst onto the scene at Alabama with the game-winning interception against Georgia. He’s played 473 snaps in his true freshman season so far, totaling 11 tackles and a pair of pass deflections.
Brown also scored Alabama’s first non-offensive touchdown when he ran a fumble back 68 yards to the end zone against Mercer. Linguist credits Brown’s ability to be in the right place to make big plays to an unrelenting effort to improve on the practice field and grow his game.
“Hard work, steady commitment,” Linguist said. “Details matter to him. He wants to be great. I think a lot of it is, how great do you want to be? No coach can really push you to a place that you really just don’t want to go. Our job is to find out what your goals are, put you even higher than those, but to meet you and be as accessible as possible to help you reach the goals that you set for yourself. From the onset.
“ZB, Zabien has always talked about the type of player he wants to be, what he wants to look like on film, what his vision is for himself here at Alabama. So our job is to help him reach those goals. He’s putting in the work. He’s showing the dedication and the commitment. He’s putting the time in with the film study. He takes every practice rep like it's a game rep and so you see the on-field production, it’s not a surprise.”
Alabama will continue relying on its freshman defensive backs as it looks to finish the regular season with a pair of victories and solidify its College Football Playoff spot. Brown has the opportunity to make more big plays at the corner spot, while Mincey’s continued growth gives the Tide strong depth at safety ahead of what Alabama hopes to be a long postseason run.
Brown and Mincey will look to keep Oklahoma’s offense at bay when the Tide faces the Sooners on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT in Norman, Oklahoma. The game can be seen on ABC.
