In today’s article, we take a look at the Alabama defensive backfield, one of the best in all of college football.
In recent years, we’ve waited until fall camp began to take a look at the upcoming team, giving the coaches every possible second to finalize a pre-camp roster. This has led to content droughts, however, so we’ve chosen to break up future team previews into eight segments, following our traditional eight-category game previews.
Today, we look at the cornerback positions and safety positions, covering each group separate from the other. In the 4-2-5 Swarm scheme, Alabama’s safeties work more like a single unit than the previous 3-4 over/under scheme, where each safety position had a bit more unique skill set.
Fans who are familiar with our preview articles know we rate each unit and place them in one of five categories: Excellent, Very Good, Average, Fair and Poor. We now also do a little advance scouting at the player level as well; if there is something that stands out, good or bad, it is noted for the players.
No walk-ons are rated in these articles – outside of the Special Teams preview, which will be the final in this series – unless we believe the walk-on in question has a real chance of making the actual playing rotation, not just playing in blowout situations. Players are listed below in the way we believe they finished spring camp. For players who were not yet on the team in the spring, they are listed at the end of their respective categories.
We will look first at all cornerbacks on the roster, followed by the safeties.
DEFENSIVE BACKS (Rating: Ex)
Starting cornerbacks – Dijon Lee Jr., Zabien Brown
1. Zabien Brown (Jr., 6-0, 194)
Strengths: Elite CB instincts lead to big plays, excellent length and verticality, fast and mentally tough
Weaknesses: Other than a lack of elite height, nothing
Analysis: We think Zabien Brown is the best cornerback in the country, hands down. Brown broke out as a true freshman with a game-saving interception against Georgia and has been making critical stops ever since, not the least of which was a 99-yard pick-six against Tennessee just before the half in Alabama’s 2025 win. There isn’t a single attribute at which Brown isn’t better than average, including height, and in most cases, he’s the one setting the bar. Sure, he could stand to have a couple more inches on his frame, but even the biggest receivers struggle to get separation from him. He’s arguably Alabama’s best player regardless of position, and barring injury, will be a high draft pick next April.
2. Dijon Lee Jr. (So., 6-4, 204)
Strengths: Top-tier size, excellent speed, strength at the top of the route against even the biggest receivers
Weaknesses: Hands are average at best, can get baited off the route by clever QBs
Analysis: Lee’s true freshman season was arguably better than Brown’s, if you judge the final third of the year. It took him a while to get going, but he eventually replaced Domani Jackson in the starting lineup and and by the end of the season, teams really didn’t have a safe place to throw against Alabama’s secondary. He’s dropped some easy interceptions, and veteran quarterbacks can sometimes move him with their eyes, but when combined with Brown, no team has a better pair of cornerbacks. That might include some of the bottom-tier NFL teams, to be honest. Lee is yet another guy headed for a three-year college career and then an exit to the professional ranks.
Reserve cornerbacks – Chuck McDonald, Nick Sherman, Jordan Edmonds, Zyan Gibson, Walter Sansing, George French II
3. Chuck McDonald (So., 6-1, 197)
Strengths: Good length, plus speed, took a big step forward this spring
Weaknesses: Still filling out his frame, needs to convert top-end speed to short-range quickness more effectively
Analysis: If Alabama were to have to start McDonald due to an injury to one of the starters, we’re not sure anyone would notice. He’s an elite talent that is just a half-step behind the Brown/Lee duo and is primed to take over for Brown heading into 2027. Finding nits to pick is tough; if anything, McDonald needed muscle mass upon arrival, and showed sometimes a penchant for overrunning short routes. He cleaned up a ton of rough edges in the spring, though, and is far and away Bama’s best option among the bench corners.
4. Nick Sherman (Jr., 6-3, 201)
Strengths: Thick build that would be good even if he was a safety, good height
Weaknesses: Lacks elite speed, still learning the nuances of an FBS corner position
Analysis: Sherman was more or less bracketed with true freshman Jorden Edmonds at the end of spring, and Edmonds has the higher ceiling. Fall camp will be crucial, therefore, for Sherman to maintain his hold on a position that would seem to allow him to see significant playing time, as Alabama frequently played multiple cornerbacks the last two years. He’s not the fastest guy in this unit by far, but he has value as sort of a slot corner or even part-time safety. Signed strictly for depth, Sherman did a good job hanging around the discussion in the spring, and bears watching in fall camp.
5. Jorden Edmonds (Fr., 6-3, 188)
Strengths: Another guy with elite height, ballhawk style with active hands, speed to stay with top receivers
Weaknesses: No experience, could stand to add a bit of weight
Analysis: Ask practice observers who the most impressive true freshman was in the spring, and you typically got one of four names: WR Cederian Morgan, LB Xavier Griffin, S Jireh Edwards, and Jorden Edmonds. Edmonds won’t stay behind Nick Sherman for long, if he’s even behind him now. Edmonds looks like a Dijon Lee close, tall and lanky but maybe with even better mitts. Edmonds treats every pass thrown his way as a chance to intercept it. When his experience catches up to his mindset, he’ll be hard to handle.
6. Zyan Gibson (Fr., Fr., 6-0, 194)
Strengths: Track-star speed, good frame, hits above his weight class
Weaknesses: No experience, still learning some of the basics of the position, typical freshman penchant for getting baited
Analysis: Gibson’s worst “weakness” is that he shared a signing class with Jorden Edmonds. As such, he’ll be compared to Edmonds for a time, which isn’t really fair to him. He had a good spring and showed no fear of getting his nose dirty as a tackler, but he also still needs to work on some technical basics and not get lost in coverage as much. The calling card here is the speed. Gibson is a legit track star and could wind up being a kick returner for Alabama. In a year or two, he should be able to contribute heavily at cornerback.
7. Walter Sansing (Jr., 5-10, 182)
Strengths: Good athleticism for a walk-on, can play safety as well
Weaknesses: Small for a modern Bama DB, raw speed lags others at the spot
Analysis: Sansing made it up to third-team status at the end of 2025, and he played more than just a token number of snaps at A-Day. The ability to shift between corner and safety is a plus, and with the transfer of fellow walk-on Kolby Peavy to Southern Miss, Sansing stands a good chance at seeing some special teams reps. It’s unlikely he’ll play in a critical situation in the defensive backfield, however.
8. George French II (Fr., 6-1, 185)
Strengths: Good frame to add more size, physical in the running game and will hit, long arms with hand strength that allows him to break up passes
Weaknesses: Lacks a top gear, doesn’t change directions quickly, quickness could be affected with any weight gain
Analysis: Alabama got French to say no to Army and UT-Martin, and his tape shows why Alabama took an interest: In addition to being an in-state prospect, he has the build of a safety and takes the fight to running backs in the ground game. He’s got enough hip turn and raw speed to play corner, but he probably doesn’t need to be the guy lined up across from an opponent’s top receiver. French wasn’t on campus for spring drills, so he’ll be behind the others, but there’s just enough there to make you want to see more.
Starting safeties – Bray Hubbard, Rydarrius Morgan, Keon Sabb
1. Bray Hubbard (Sr., 6-2, 217)
Strengths: Top-tier box safety who hits like a linebacker, good ball-tracking skills, coach-level grasp of the defense
Weaknesses: Doesn’t have top-end speed, aggressive style can take a toll after a few hits
Analysis: Hubbard’s ascension from special teams stalwart to starting safety, which began two seasons ago with Keon Sabb’s injury, has led here. Hubbard will be drafted somewhere next April, although his NFL-level viability will hinge on him continuing to bring the punishment in the running game. He’s more or less a small coverage linebacker as it is, but he has elite instincts, very good hands and tracks balls well, which has allowed him to come up with multiple big-time PBUs and interceptions. The only thing lacking is the speed.
2. Keon Sabb (Sr., 6-1, 208)
Strengths: Good speed, instinctive coverage safety who focuses on big plays, tons of field experience
Weaknesses: Like to peek and frequently gets caught doing it, plays smaller in the running game, doesn’t shift momentum easily when blitzing
Analysis: Sabb does a lot of things well but can also put up some frighteningly ugly busts. He’s a chance-taker in coverage and while he has good top speed, he’s not particularly quick in the hips, which gets problematic both in tight coverage and when he’s coming on blitzes. His acceleration from a dead stop is top-shelf, though, and the quicker the play develops, the most value he brings due to his instinctual profile. If he could just clean up some of the rougher edges, there’s no telling where his draft value would land.
3. Rydarrius Morgan (Jr., 6-0, 189)
Strengths: Non-stop hustle, no-fear tackling style, a weapon on blitz calls
Weaknesses: Doesn’t leverage his height in coverage, can be too angular and forward, needs to learn how to back everything down a notch
Analysis: This is finally Red Morgan’s year to be a full-time starter at the nickel safety spot, called “Husky” in Alabama’s nomenclature. The key for Morgan now is the same as it’s always been: He needs to fine-tune his aggressive play style and not get himself out of position. He tends to play as a combination of angles – fast one direction, a quick change, then fast in another direction – which causes him issues when he can’t square up. One scout has termed him “a walking targeting foul” and while that’s a bit harsh, it’s not completely inaccurate. Morgan has good coverage skills for a safety, but his penchant for getting low to the ground in anticipation of making a hit plays against him when he’s asked to extend and cover. In addition, strong springs from Carmelo O’Neal, Ivan Taylor and Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. make his hold on the position a week-to-week affair at best.
Reserve safeties – Carmelo O’Neal, Ivan Taylor, Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., Zavier Mincey, Jireh Edwards, Rihyael Kelley
4. Carmelo O’Neal (Jr., 6-4, 209)
Strengths: Experienced transfer, enough cover skills to perhaps work at cornerback as well, has all the measurables
Weaknesses: Coming from FCS-level school (Mercer), could wind up working everywhere and not being able to focus on winning one spot
Analysis: O’Neal could wind up being the most surprising of Alabama’s transfers. Plucked from FCS Mercer, O’Neal was looked at to be safety depth prior to spring but then exploded onto the scene in drills and wound up putting up a performance too good to ignore. He’s got the best pure frame of any Alabama safety, which is saying a lot on its own, but he also brings good speed and legitimate coverage abilities. He might end up working at cornerback in the fall if the coaches don’t feel Nick Sherman or Jorden Edmonds is ready yet. He finished spring legitimately close to unseating Red Morgan at nickel.
5. Ivan Taylor (So., 6-0, 196)
Strengths: Well-balanced safety who exceeds at all three slots, top-level football smarts, fast enough to draw coverage assignments
Weaknesses: Doesn’t seem as big as listed, can get overpowered in the running game
Analysis: A high level of assignment competency has given Taylor the chance to challenge Rydarrius Morgan and Carmelo O’Neal for a starting spot. Taylor quietly gained playing time throughout the 2025 season, eventually winding up in the main rotation, and he’ll be there again in 2026. He and O’Neal are probably Bama’s best potential coverage safeties, but he probably needs a few more pounds of muscle before coaches are comfortable sending him in for support on early running downs.
6. Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. (Jr., 5-11, 205)
Strengths: Technical expert, high football IQ, solid hitter
Weaknesses: Off-field issues set him back, not elite height or speed
Analysis: Kirkpatrick was making a run at a starting job at one time, but then off-field issues cost him part of his 2025 season and nearly his Alabama career. He bounced back well in the spring, and while he doesn’t look the part of a blue-chip, he gets blue-chip results. It will be interesting to see how the depth charts shake out, because Kirkpatrick technically finished the spring third-team at his position; however, we think he winds up playing in front of Zavier Mincey and the true freshmen. Kirkpatrick was born with his father’s flair for the dramatic, big play, and it would be a shame to see him buried so far back on the depth chart that it never comes out.
7. Zavier Mincey (Jr., 6-3, 206)
Strengths: Cornerback background, good height and length, plus speed
Weaknesses: Needs to cut penalties and miscues, has the tools but has yet to put them all together
Analysis: Mincey will wind up being the answer to a trivia question one day, because as a true freshman, he was either bracketed with or outright ahead of Zabien Brown at one time. Some early struggles against elite receivers fostered a position change to safety, where many thought he’d quickly win a starting job due to his impressive physical talents. Instead, Mincey has struggled to make a forward push, despite having arguably the best physical profile of any of the Alabama safeties. With the additions of Carmelo O’Neal and Jireh Edwards, this will be a key year for Mincey’s development.
8. Jireh Edwards (Fr., 6-2, 221)
Strengths: Physical presence who will hit, plus speed regardless of his size
Weaknesses: No experience, technique still catching up to the physical build
Analysis: Edwards is basically the same size as linebacker recruit Xavier Griffin, yet they’re talking about letting Griffin play defensive end on passing downs. Let that sink in a minute. Edwards gives Alabama a physical prospect who stands a good chance of stepping directly into Bray Hubbard’s shoes next year as the principal box safety. Spring reports were off the charts for Edwards, and with Zavier Mincey having no guarantee of holding on to his spot in the rotation, Edwards could be an early contributor.
9. Rihyael Kelley (Fr., 6-3, 196)
Strengths: Long and lean safety with room for future bulk, instinctual player, diagnoses and commits like a veteran
Weaknesses: No experience, faster than quick, some tackling mechanics need polish
Analysis: Like Zyan Gibson’s value was affected by signing with Jorden Edmons, Kelley’s importance to the class is unfairly affected by the presence of Jireh Edwards. Kelley’s smarts and football acumen jump off the tape, and he has easy length that he uses to his advantage. He needs to close more efficiently as a tackler, but he doesn’t shy from contact. He’s got excellent special teams value from day one, and has the frame to get bigger without it negatively affecting his game.