As the Alabama football team wraps up preseason practice, the battles at the cornerback position remain a major consideration for the Crimson Tide. Alabama must replace its two starters as Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry are both headed to the NFL, not to mention the key backups that have gone through the transfer portal.
On Saturday, the Tide played their second scrimmage of training camp, after which head coach Kalen DeBoer shared his thoughts on the position.
“I thought they really had a handle on the receivers all day,” DeBoer said. “They understand the responsibility of being in the right position. I’m sure we can find some clips. That will always be the case when they could have been better.”
“But nothing really in terms of botched tasks. I think they’re getting better every day. They’re out there training. They really want it. There’s a high level of desire for it. They know there are a lot of eyes on them. I’m really proud of how they keep doing it every day.”
Alabama ran 94 plays in Saturday’s scrimmage, down from 102 plays in the first scrimmage last Saturday.
DeBoer said Saturday’s practice was the most physically demanding since he arrived in Tuscaloosa, and the cornerbacks were no exception.
“I thought they had to make a tackle at times and take guys down,” DeBoer said. “They hit a couple of guys on their routes, both receivers and tight ends. A lot of good things from that group. They continue to grow. They’re improving every day and every week.”
Alabama has some experience in its current cornerback group, with Domani Jones, who transferred from Southern Cal, expected to fill one of the spots and DaShawn Jones, who transferred from Wake Forest, competing for the other. The Crimson Tide has several young players, including Jaylen Mbakwe and Zavier Mincey, also battling for playing time.
The freshman who has received the most praise so far in camp is Zabien Brown, who DeBoer spoke positively about again after the practice game. Brown has been practicing with a bat on his left hand due to an injury.
“His consistency, he’s obviously still young and learning every day as he overcomes his injury to begin with,” DeBoer said. “But I guess I’m just super proud of how he’s done that. I think there are maybe some guys that would have challenged themselves, maybe not from practice, but from certain drills or certain reps. He’s definitely shown his toughness by going out there and competing and really not missing anything that we’ve allowed him to from a medical standpoint.
“He’s got a great head on his shoulders. He played high school football at a high level and I think that’s helped him succeed here.”
Alabama continues training camp on Tuesday. The Crimson Tide opens the 2024 season on August 31 against Western Kentucky in Tuscaloosa.
