Visionary in the secondary
Ronnie Harrison sees plays before they unfold.
The University of Alabama free safety anticipates what’s coming at him and reacts accordingly, just as he did last Saturday against Tennessee.
Well before quarterback Joshua Dobbs pulled his arm back on a third-and-seven play, Harrison reacted. He knew Dobbs was going to throw a screen pass to the right, and he was easily able to get in front of it.
“Once he got his hands on the ball it was pretty much smooth sailing,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said Monday of Harrison’s play.
Standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing 216 pounds, it didn’t take Harrison long to run the 58 yards in front of him. It was nothing but green, and Harrison easily notched Alabama’s eighth defensive touchdown this season.
Along with the score, Harrison led the Crimson Tide defense with seven total tackles. He also had two pass breakups. Because of his performance, the Alabama coaching staff named him a Player of the Week. There were four chosen on defense overall.
“His success is just the awareness he’s gained over the offseason of the wide receivers and just the offenses we’re going against, the routes they’re going to run and stuff like that,” defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson said.
That’s what Saban has noticed, too. Harrison is able to adjust as a play evolves. His moment in Neyland Stadium wasn’t the first time Harrison made it into the end zone this season either.
During Alabama’s homecoming game, linebacker Rashaan Evans sacked Kentucky quarterback Stephen Johnson. Not a second later, Harrison was in the backfield, scooping the fumble that had popped out of Johnson’s arms.
The quick reaction allowed Harrison to return that ball 55 yards for a score and ultimately bump Alabama into the national lead for defensive touchdowns.
“This has been a lot of extra running, just trying to make blocks for our DBs, linebackers and stuff like that,” Tomlinson said. “They’re fast, so you don’t know which way they’re going to change direction.”
Including Harrison, seven of the 11 defensive starters have scored at least one touchdown so far. Harrison’s two ties him with running back Damien Harris for sixth in scoring.
Unlike some of his teammates, however, the sophomore isn’t one to boast about his accomplishments.
“Ronnie’s really not the bragging type guy,” linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton said. “He’s a laid-back type of guy. He’s not your Da’Ron Payne type of guy.”
Payne scored a touchdown against Ole Miss, and he hasn’t let it go since – or at least that’s what Hamilton says. Payne’s pride and joy came from a 3-yard fumble recovery. It wasn’t the 113-yard combined return yards that Harrison has produced.
The Tallahassee, Fla., native has accumulated 32 total tackles with two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and three pass breakups. He has also snuck into the backfield twice to put pressure on the quarterback.
“You know he comes out ready to work every day at practice,” Hamilton said. “Just seeing him make plays out there, it’s always good to watch him grow up.”