TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Isaiah Buggs' voice croons softly into an Auto-Tune while his talents on the piano fill the background. Off the football field, the Alabama defensive lineman has a tendency to surprise people.
That was first evidenced when he shocked Alabama head coach Nick Saban and his wife Terry with a piano solo shortly after joining Alabama in December of 2016. Since then, the multi-talented defensive lineman has continued to show off his musical talents, releasing an extended-play album titled “Better Than Good Enough” on Oct. 27, 2017.
The five-track album delves some into Buggs’ past while mentioning the former JUCO transfer’s rise to success. The former five-star is still far more known for his ability on the field, but his skill behind the mic hasn’t gone unnoticed by his teammates.
"I've always done music, playing the piano and any instrument,” Buggs said. “There's always a lot of guys like 'Buggs when are we going to the studio and drop some music?' I always let them come over to the house and make songs. That's just team bonding things we do to get close to each other.”
Music aside, Buggs generated rave reviews on the field during his debut season at Alabama last year. The 6-foot-5, 287-pound defensive end started in all but one of the Crimson Tide’s 14 games, tallying 51 tackles, four for a loss with 1.5 sacks and seven quarterback hurries.
This season, Buggs will play on the opposite side of fellow returning starter Raekwon Davis in what looks to be a revamped Alabama pass rush. However, as any artist knows, it’s the second album — or in this case season — that generally makes or breaks your career.
For Buggs, that entails taking on a bit more responsibility both on and off the field.
“I have to take a leadership role,” he said. “All of the coaches and players are looking up to me to become the leader I need to be to help this team win and be successful for the next season.”
That leadership role is especially important given the amount of youth and inexperience across the defensive line. Alabama will have to replace starting nose guard Da’Ron Payne as well as his backup Joshua Frazier up the middle. On top of that, it will need to continue to develop young players such as sophomores Quinnen Williams ad LaBryan Ray while trying to break in talented freshmen like Phidarian Mathis and early enrollee Stephon Wynn Jr.
“We got a lot of young guys who are going to have to play a lot this year. We can't get frustrated if they don't know what to do,” Buggs said. “It's all about paying attention in meetings, buying in and knowing what you're supposed to do.
“Those guys are coming along great. They'll definitely be in the rotation this year. Everybody just learning the plays right now and adjusting to the new coach. We're just having each other's backs and doing what we're supposed to do.”
So far, that’s exactly what Buggs has done. The senior said his biggest goal this spring is “just being coachable, and being the best player that I can be.” He even joked that he would be willing to take on the blocking duties left behind by Payne during Alabama’s jumbo set near the goal line.
“I try to bring the energy on the practice field every day,” Buggs said. “I try to be a coachable player and be a player who sticks out, that Coach Saban is like 'wow, we need this energy every day' to get the team through practice.”
As Alabama continues into its third week of spring practices, that type of team-first mentality is music to everyone’s ears.
