As the offseason has progressed for Alabama, one of the most prominent areas of focus has been the Crimson Tide defensive back room that underwent a lot of change following the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.
With star cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry going to the NFL and a flurry of defenders deciding to transfer such as Trey Amos, Earl Little II, Dezz Ricks, Antonio Kite, and Jameer Grimsley, head coach Kalen DeBoer’s defensive back unit looked to be in trouble just a few weeks into his tenure.
Amidst all the changes that happened to the Alabama secondary, one prominent player and leader decided to stick around for just one final season and is expected to take charge of the entire defense this season; fifth-year safety Malachi Moore.
During SEC Media Days on Wednesday, the many questions surrounding Moore’s leadership and the Crimson Tide secondary were presented and answered by DeBoer and his player representatives in Dallas.
Among those was how Moore was going to lead an almost entirely new secondary unit featuring players such as Michigan transfer Keon Sabb, USC transfer Domani Jackson and more. However, Moore doesn’t seem to be too worried.
“Losing Kool-Aid and Terrion, two great corners, two first-round corners in my opinion, is always going to be hard to replace that type of Talent,” Moore said. “Domani Jackson, Zabien Brown, Jaylen Mbakwe, Zavier Mincey, everybody is just coming in and putting their head down and working each and every day and I’m really liking the progress I’m seeing with that group.”
Moore has been a part of the Crimson Tide since the 2020 season and much like his current teammates, he has also had to look up to a variety of incredible leaders such as Patrick Surtain II, Brian Branch, and more in order to know what it takes to be great at Alabama.
Moore’s tenure has been nothing short of consistent high-level football and his teammates around him have also taken notice of this as well.
“Great guy,” quarterback Jalen Milroe said of Moore. “Fifth-year guy, has so much knowledge of being an Alabama football player. Very instinctive. He’s very passionate about the game, he loves his teammates, and loves the state of Alabama. Just to see his purpose when he plays the game, see how much he loves his teammates.”
Even with a brand new head coach and defensive back coach, Moore has been able to play his role as best as possible in order to hold the new faces on the roster to the standard that has been set for several seasons.
During the SEC Now broadcast, DeBoer detailed his pleasure of the defensive back unit that he has at his disposal and the progress that they need to make in order to find success in the season in which Moore will be working towards making a reality.
“There’s a lot of great youth that I think can be developed,” DeBoer said. “As a whole, I think we put out a great lineup of guys with experience like Malachi Moore, Keon Sabb, Domani Jackson, but there’s a lot of other guys that don’t have that experience or are younger that are taking advantage of the days they have right now. They need to have a great August.”
Just as Moore was developed as a young and inexperienced player on the roster five years ago, he will now have his opportunity to do the same to his new teammates in which Milroe has already seen progress in.
“I’m super proud of him, of how much he’s constantly gotten better, but also how he’s influenced the guys around him in the locker room,” Milroe said. “I’m very passionate about my teammate and super excited to share a field with him.”
