Alabama's first-half performance on both sides of the ball against Texas A&M didn't inspire much confidence in this team moving forward.
Against an Aggies team that had struggled mightily coming into the game, Alabama found itself tied at halftime and trailing by three to begin the fourth quarter. But it was a 14-0 fourth quarter - and a 14-3 second half overall - that lifted the Crimson Tide to a 31-20 win in Tuscaloosa.
The defense struggled, particularly against the pass in the first 30 minutes, but the secondary stepped up and took a lot away from Marcel Reed in the second half. That coincided with a subtle change at safety that fans have been clamoring for.
Per 247's Mike Rodak, fifth-year senior Keon Sabb exited the game with 9:21 remaining in the third quarter and didn't return. Alabama turned to sophomore Ivan Taylor, who played the rest of the way:
Alabama starting safety Keon Sabb did not play any defensive snaps after 9:21 in the third quarter Saturday, and was not part of the punt return unit after appearing on it during the first half.https://t.co/rdHe1OgBWY
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) October 25, 2026
Ivan Taylor may have finally supplanted Keon Sabb in Alabama's secondary
Now, the fact that Sabb was no longer in the game on the punt return unit could speak to him tweaking something that took him out of the game, though he was still in full pads and looked fine in the aftermath of the Crimson Tide's win.
In any case, Alabama's secondary seems to play better with Taylor in the game. He's more instinctual, more prone to make a play. He also doesn't get lost in coverage as often as Sabb does or consistently take poor angles to the ball.
It hasn't been the final season in Tuscaloosa that Sabb hoped it would be from a personal standpoint. He's mostly struggled, and his shortcomings are part of the reason the Tide's secondary has been one of the most disappointing groupings in college football. This was supposed to be one of, if not the, best secondaries in the country. Instead, it has been below average for a large chunk of the first eight games.
Perhaps Taylor's insertion with the ones will continue going forward. Alabama has a bye week now, giving them an extra week to prepare for a potential do-or-die matchup in Baton Rouge against LSU.
Wommack should get Taylor ready to start in Sabb's place, regardless of his health status. Taylor has been the better player, and with Alabama's season on the line every week going forward, you can't afford to defer to seniority any longer. The best players should play, regardless of position.
Taylor looks like the better player at safety, and perhaps Wommack and DB coach Maurice Linguist finally figured it out.
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