Deontae Lawson confirms suspicion about second-year defensive back Red Morgan after he contributed at Husky as a freshman

Red Morgan was only a true freshman last season, but he still managed to earn a role almost immediately after stepping on campus. The former Central High School (Phenix City, AL) standout wasn't a blue-chip recruit though. Yes, the Rivals Industry Rankings had him rated as a four-star prospect, but he ranked outside the top 250 and ESPN actually listed him as a three-star.

And yet, he was getting first-team reps as early as spring practice after the new coaching came in. That led to Morgan playing 178 snaps at Kane Wommack's new Husky position, which is essentially a nickel defensive back with similarities to Nick Saban's former Star position.

Things were obviously looking up for him early in the year, but his role started to diminish around the midway point in the season. After averaging a healthy 25.8 snaps through the first half of the year, that number dipped to just 3.8 snaps over his final six appearances.

DeVonta Smith continued to be the starting Husky, but Wake Forest transfer Dashawn Jones became more of the second-team option there after beginning the year as a perimeter corner. When Smith missed time due to injury, Jones was the guy with Morgan seeing little to no action.

Some of that was Morgan having your typical freshman struggles, but some of it came down to his lack of size and physicality. He was listed at 6-foot, 186 pounds with a lean build, and that lack of size showed up some while manning a more physical position that requires you to, in some ways, act as an extra linebacker in certain situations.

Yes, Smith has now transferred to Notre Dame, but Jones is now being projected as the starting Husky. Not only that, but fellow second-year defensive back Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. was seen lining up with the second team at that position during the spring. Morgan, on the other hand, was asked to help with the depth on the perimeter with multiple cornerbacks not available.

Some (myself included) have wondered if that move to corner would be permanent with Kirkpatrick generating some buzz. And at SEC Media Days last week, veteran linebacker Deontae Lawson confirmed that suspicion. 

"Red Morgan moved to corner," Lawson told reporters, according to an article from Charlie Potter on BamaOnLine. "Definitely got some learning still to do. But giving it everything he’s got every day and coming to work every day and trying to learn as much as he can. Red’s a freak athlete. He has all the tools to be a great player. It’s now just developing into more of a scheme-type of player and doing what’s best for the team. He’s attacking that full head on.”

This doesn't mean Morgan will be exclusively playing on the outside, even if his lack of bulk would probably be better served out there. Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer also confirmed at SEC Media Days that Morgan is a versatile piece for the Crimson Tide who will add depth at multiple positions, including cornerback and Husky.

“Red, last year, was thrown into action pretty much right from the get-go," DeBoer said. "He’s a corner, played nickel for us last year. Very versatile that way, which is a great thing. It’s a great tribute to him and his skill set. Again, I love his mindset.”

Does that mean he's being set up for another contributing role in 2025? It's possible, but we should point out that he's gone from Alabama's No. 2 Husky at the beginning of last season to the No. 3 Husky at best and probably something like CB5-6 behind Domani Jackson, Zabien Brown, Cam Calhoun and freshman Dijon Lee. Hopefully, this will give him the time needed to continue to get bigger and stronger.