Alabama football's 'Uncle' has keyed the Crimson Tide's defensive resurgence

Nikhai Hill-Green came into the season with an uncertain role. The Colorado transfer was an early addition for Alabama in the Transfer Portal, but he was brought in before it was known that Justin Jefferson would be granted an additional year of eligibility.

With Jefferson back, Hill-Green settled into a time-share with Jefferson and fifth-year senior LB Deontae Lawson, and early in the season was a distant third in snaps.

But in recent weeks, Hill-Green has emerged as a vital piece of the Crimson Tide's defense. It's not a coincidence that his ascent has coincided with the Alabama defense beginning to reach its preseason potential.

At 24, Hill-Green is one of, if not the, oldest players on the roster. The locker room affectionately refers to him as "Unc."

Hill-Green may have played his best game in an Alabama uniform in Saturday's win over LSU. He finished with five tackles, a tackle-for-loss, and came up with a forced fumble and recovery in the first quarter that led to Alabama's first points of the game.

His game was probably better than you even realized. According to PFF, Hill-Green was the highest-graded LB in the country in Week 11:

Kane Wommack raves about Nikhai Hill-Green's recent performance

Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack was asked about Nikhai Hill-Green's recent performance during his weekly press conference on Monday. He showered the Colorado transfer with praise.

“He’s playing some of his best football right now,” Wommack told reporters. ..."He’s just so solid and so steady, and he knows where his eye progression is supposed to be, where he’s supposed to be from a landmark standpoint. Alignments pre-snap. He does all the things right before he has to make the play, so he gives himself the best opportunity to make the play. 

“He’ll tell you, he’s not the fastest guy out there, he’s not the most athletic guy out there, but he’s athletic enough, and his elite trait is his ability to diagnose before he has to go make the play, and he’s doing that at an elite level right now.”

All three of Alabama's off-ball linebackers have played extremely well in recent weeks. In the season-opening loss to Florida State, it looked like the inside linebackers were going to be a significant weak link on this team. But credit to that trio for working to get better week in and week out.

Hill-Green's performance, alongside Lawson and Jefferson, is a big reason why Alabama's defense is starting to look like the unit fans thought they'd see in the preseason.