Alabama football added a handful of players once Kalen DeBoer was hired, but Michigan defensive back Keon Sabb brings something few can.
The Alabama returners who played in the College Football Playoff in the Rose Bowl and the additions from Washington who lost in the national championship game are all players who have big game, College Football Playoff experience. Only one won a national championship in 2023, though. That’s Sabb.
He was on the team and the defense that beat DeBoer’s Washington Huskies in Houston this past January.
“You bring in a guy like him to be an impact player for you,” DeBoer said Monday after the first spring practice. “His experiences, not just each and every play but also the experiences in leadership that as he is here longer and longer that we would expect from him because of the level he took his team to, winning a championship. That fits in well with what we’re trying to accomplish and what we’re trying to do. The character makeup aside from what we know is a great football player, he’s just a really good fit for us.”
The 6-foot-1, 208-pound defensive back could be a vital piece for a secondary that will experience a massive overhaul. Gone are starting cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry, and gone are the starting safeties in Caleb Downs and Jaylen Key. The only returning starter is Malachi Moore, who was the nickelback.
Sabb, an experienced, versatile defensive back who knows how to win, will be especially vital in the transition for the defense.
“Right now, he’s just going about his work, but you can tell he’s got that it factor,” DeBoer said. “He’s got the leadership piece in him to where I know we’ll be counting on him this fall.”
MORE: Relive Nick Saban’s epic Alabama football coaching career with our special book!
KALEN DEBOER: Who is Kalen DeBoer? A collection of stories about the new Alabama football coach
CHASE GOODBREAD: How Alabama football’s Kalen DeBoer held a Nick Saban signing class together | Goodbread
Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men’s basketball. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
2024-03-05 01:13:54
#transfer #perfect #Alabama #footballs #goals
