Why Zabien Brown will make more plays for Alabama in 2025

Alabama football’s sophomore cornerback, Zabien Brown is feeling more comfortable on defense than he did a season ago when he started 13 games as a true freshman.

Brown enters 2025 with big expectations after coming down with three picks, to go along with 18 tackles and two fumble recoveries. Brown’s takeaways led all true freshmen defensive backs across college football. With the experience obtained in year one to go along with an offseason of growth, Brown now finds himself feeling more confident as a player.

“I feel real comfortable in the standpoint of knowing what’s going on around me, coverage-wise and why we do things, and not just that we’re doing them,” Brown said to reporters after practice on Wednesday.

Alabama’s defensive coordinator Kane Wommack feels Brown is playing with much more anticipation ahead of year two.

“ZB was a guy that came in as a freshman, and he made certain freshman mistakes, but he handled them like a veteran,” Wommack said. “So, it was really impressive to see the way that he would make a mistake and then get it fixed, and you wouldn’t see that mistake. He was able to sustain the corrections we talked about on defense. This year, he’s now playing with anticipation. So, he’s making plays on the ball. He understands route progressions. He understands how to take certain things away, and he’ll drive the ball in other places.”

With Brown continuing to make strides in the Tide’s secondary, his development is something that could loom large for the Alabama defense.