Alabama Football: Malachi Moore is the future of the Tide secondary

Alabama football has a future star at cornerback.

Going into 2020, the weakness of the Alabama football defense was easily the secondary. Alabama lost four of their five starters in their nickel package, and two of them were drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. WIth that outflow of talent, it was vital that young players stepped up for the Crimson Tide defense. One freshman for the Crimson Tide has been a star since his first start, and he is the future of the group.

Malachi Moore was not a top recruit in the 2020 class. He was ranked 211th overall by 247. However, the safety has already had an immediate impact for the Crimson Tide. When true freshman start, it is usually out of necessity. In Moore’s case, it is because of his strength. He has been the key to this Alabama defense so far.

We knew that Moore would be a name to watch, but no one expected him to be the best freshman on the team so far.

Moore has intercepted multiple passes. While this stat is not a great determination of success, it is still a sign that he is in the right place at the right time. He is agile enough to play well in man coverage, and his ball skills are elite for an underclassman.

Moore might be a current strength for Alabama, but he will be a future star. No matter what happens, he will thrive in Nick Saban’s defense. Saban might want to keep him in the slot at corner, but he could also move to safety. While Moore is considered to be a safety, he might have what it takes to play cornerback. His versatility will help Alabama through any tough times in the future.

He can best be compared to Minkah Fitzpatrick. Minkah played in the slot, but he moved to safety as an upperclassman. However, Fitzpatrick had an immediate impact in his younger years. If Malachi Moore can be a fraction of the player that Minkah was, the Alabama football secondary is in good hands for the next few seasons.

It is always good to see a young player blossom into a future star. That is happening right now with Malachi Moore. He will be a household name by next year, and he will likely be the face of this defense by a junior.