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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Things are different for Xavier McKinney this year. A simple look to his side during practice is a reminder of that. Heading into his junior season, he’ll no longer have the support of consensus first-team All-America honoree Deionte Thompson. Instead, it’ll be up to McKinney to quarterback Alabama’s secondary.
“It’s definitely different with him not being there, not hearing his voice out there,” McKinney said last week. “We’ve got great guys that are going to step up and kind of fill that role since we lost him.”
Unlike last year, Alabama isn’t trying to replace its entire dime secondary. The Crimson Tide loses Thompson at safety and Saivion Smith at cornerback. Every other starter returns. That includes Patrick Surtain II, who earned SEC All-Freshman Team honors and Trevon Diggs, who was Alabama’s top cornerback last year before going down with a season-ending foot injury in Week 6. However, neither of those two will fill the spot alongside McKinney at safety.
Shyheim Carter could shift back to safety after starting at the Star position last season. Although, the senior will be limited this spring after undergoing a sports hernia surgery earlier this year. Fellow senior Jared Mayden is probably the favorite to handle the duties at this point.
Either way, McKinney is confident all will go to plan. The junior shared signal-calling duties with Thompson last year and is well-accustomed to how Alabama’s defense should look regardless of who’s on the field.
