Alabama football has an inside linebacker shortage and true freshman Dylan Moses will use the Mercer game as an audition for a starting role.
Every Alabama football fan knows replacing Shaun Dion Hamilton and Mack Wilson is a challenge. On the road in Starkville, Keith Holcombe and Dylan Moses did not meet the standard for inside linebackers in a Nick Saban defense.
Practices during Mercer week indicate Dylan Moses may get more snaps against the FCS Bears. Moses, instead of Holcombe has been working as the Mack linebacker in the Dime defense and alongside Rashaan Evans in the Nickel defense.
During the SEC conference call on Wednesday, Nick Saban commented on Moses.
"Dylan’s done a really good job for us. He’s got a little more opportunity now because of some of the injury situations that we had at linebacker. I think getting the additional reps in practice have really helped his confidence, and hopefully we’ll get to play him a little bit more … we don’t have a lot of depth at the position and he has the potential to be a really good player for us when he gets the knowledge and experience (to) play with confidence"
Nick Saban will not acknowledge Moses has or will replace Holcombe on the depth chart. Moses will have to prove himself against Mercer and in next week’s practices in order to start in the Iron Bowl. Moses has played in nine games this season but most of his snaps have come on special teams.
Moving up to a starting role in the biggest game of the 2017 season would be too much for most true freshmen. Then again, Dylan Moses has a package of skills beyond those of other young players. Because of those exceptional skills Moses was named 2016 Parade Magazine National Player of the Year, 2016 Butkus Award (nation’s top high school linebacker), a 5-Star, No. 13 Overall Player in the 2017 247Sports Composite, and No. 2 rated outside linebacker.
Because of his speed, Moses has spent most of the fall practicing at outside linebacker. Just how fast is the young Mr. Moses? USA Today Sports reported Moses ran a 4.46 40-yard dash in spring workouts. That is blazing speed for a linebacker, particularly one who plays at 235 pounds.
Alabama football has played 17 true freshmen this season. Several of them, notably wideouts, Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III and Devonta Smith have become rotation regulars. Moses could be the next one to shine early for the Crimson Tide.
Nick Saban said this week he has the same performance standards, true freshmen to fifth-year seniors.
"What I’m looking for is guys that can play winning football. What does that mean? You can go out there and do your job and you can do it on a consistent basis, whether it’s playing your gap, cover your guy, drop to the right zone, break on the ball the right way, be a good tackler — play winning football at your position."
Is Dylan Moses ready to play winning football as a Crimson Tide starter? Before answering that question, consider how long Dylan Moses has been preparing for this opportunity. From the excellent Players’ Tribune story about the 8th grade Moses who received an offer from LSU,
"Starting when I was nine, my dad and I would train three mornings a week.We’d wake up at six and get started. Four hundred push-ups, 800 sit-ups, 10 minutes of jumping rope and a one-mile run. After 90 minutes or so, we’d go back home, and then I’d shower before catching the bus to elementary school. As soon as school was over — and if I didn’t have track practice — I’d get back on the bus and go home, where my dad would be waiting for me to train some more.In the summer, we’d do three-a-days. I’d train at 6 a.m., at noon and then again at 5 p.m."
The entire Players’ Tribune story deserves a close read. Two points will jump out at any reader. One, Dylan Moses never considered another school after sitting in on an Alabama football team meeting. Second, Dylan Moses, for all his physical attributes, is perhaps most blessed with a confident determination. If he is thrust front and center into one of college football’s biggest games, he will likely be, in his own words, “ready to roll.”
Next: Alabama Football: Where 5-Star Linebackers wait their turn
The Dylan Moses situation shows even a game against an FCS school can be interesting. Similarly, on the other side of the field, many Mercer Bears will also be looking to make a statement this Saturday.