Alabama’s safety unit features experience, emerging talent

Alabama has holes to fill and questions to answer across its roster, heading into spring practice. The safety position isn’t one of them. The Crimson Tide returns starters at all three of its safety positions and should have one of the deepest units in college football. 

Here’s a look at the backhalf of Alabama’s secondary before the Tide breaks camp later this month. 

Projected starters 

FS — Keon Sabb 

SS — Bray Hubbard 

Husky — Red Morgan 

Alabama’s deep safety duo is back together for one final run this season. Keon Sabb and Bray Hubbard both held off on the NFL Draft in favor of returning to the Tide. Last season, that pair started all 15 games while serving as Alabama’s most-used defenders. According to Pro Football Focus, Sabb saw the field for 821 of the Tide’s 941 defensive snaps last season. Hubbard was right behind at 816 snaps, while cornerback Zabien Brown came in a distant third with 764 snaps. 

Hubbard finished third on the team with 79 tackles, while Sabb finished fifth with 54 stops. According to PFF, the duo earned Alabama’s top two coverage grades, with Sabb coming in at 84.8 and Hubbard at 82.6. Hubbard also led the team with four interceptions. 

While the return of Sabb and Hubbard generated more attention this offseason, Morgan should play an equally crucial role in Alabama’s upcoming secondary. The 6-foot, 185-pound defensive back started five games over 14 appearances as Alabama’s Husky defender, splitting time with DaShawn Jones in the slot. 

Morgan recorded 26 tackles, including three for a loss, to go with a pass breakup and a forced fumble. He put in mixed performances over his starts but ultimately showed plenty of growth during his second season with the team. 

Alabama has plenty of depth at all three of its safety spots. Zavier Mincey and Ivan Taylor appear to be next up at the two deep safety positions, while Drek Kirkpatrick Jr. can man the Husky role behind Morgan. Meanwhile, Alabama added a top-50 signee in Jireh Edwards, who has the talent to see the field early in his career. 

Biggest breakout — Zavier Mincey

Five-star talents typically don’t wait for playing time anymore. However, Zavier Mincey is entering his third year with Alabama and still hasn’t carved out a consistent role in the Tide’s defense. 

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound defender began his college career as a cornerback in 2024 but transitioned to safety ahead of the ReliaQuest Bowl that year. Last season, he saw the field for 218 defensive snaps, splitting time as a deep safety while also lining up in the box. 

“The guy that I think has really done a nice job and we’ve seen him trend in the right direction all season is Zay Mincey,” Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said during preparation for the ReliaQuest Bowl in 2024. “I think you’ll see his role continue to grow within our defense within the bowl game preparation and then beyond that. I’m really excited about him and what he’s doing.”

While Mincey isn’t likely to usurp one of Alabama’s returning starters in the first-team defense, he enters the spring as the favorite to serve as the Tide’s sixth defensive back out of the dime package. His ability to line up deep and in the box makes him a candidate to fill in at all three of the safety roles should any of Alabama’s starters suffer an injury this fall. 

Biggest question — Will Alabama flex its depth?  

Last year, we saw Alabama utilize its depth at the inside linebacker position by rotating Deontae Lawson, Justin Jefferson and Nikhai Hill-Green on the field. Given the Tide’s overabundance of talent at the safety position, will Alabama take a similar approach with the back end of its secondary this fall? 

There are two sides to this approach. On one hand, Alabama could look to keep Sabb and Hubbard fresh for what it hopes to be a lengthy playoff run. On the other hand, it’s worth considering how much the Tide can afford to have that duo on the sideline as it looks to break in a young linebacking corps early in the year. 

If last year is any indication, Sabb and Hubbard might not leave the field very often. That being said, it’s hard to make it through a physical SEC slate without a few bumps and bruises. Chances are, at least one of Alabama’s talented reserves will get an extended run at some point this fall.