It hasn't taken Carmelo O'Neal long to hit the ground running in Tuscaloosa. The Mercer transfer was an intriguing addition to the Alabama defensive back room, fitting the bill of what Kane Wommack and Maurice Linguist have shown to covet at corner.
O'Neal is a 6-foot-4, adding even more length to an already long secondary. While Alabama has a pair of entrenched starters in Zabien Brown and Dijon Lee, there's room for another corner to play significant snaps, and adding a veteran who has played at this level is always a positive.
While Alabama has a pair of intriguing freshmen in Jorden Edmonds and Zyan Gibson who could play if needed, adding a veteran with 23 games of experience in college football, even at the FCS level, was important.
O'Neal played against Alabama as a freshman in 2024, but it was his game against Auburn last season that put him on the Crimson Tide's radar and ultimately led them to aggressively pursue him when he entered the Transfer Portal, according to Wommack.
“I remember when we were preparing to play Auburn and Mercer had played them maybe one or two games before us, and I’m watching this long DB, and I’m like ‘man, this guy is impressive,'" Wommack said after Friday's practice. "Then all of a sudden he shows up in the portal and we went after him quickly. There’s not many guys that have that length and that athleticism."
Carmelo O'Neal is exceeding expectations in his short time with Alabama
Wommack and Linguist were instantly intrigued when O'Neal hit the portal after seeing him pop on tape against Auburn last season. They knew from just watching that he had an intriguing physical skill set, but they've gotten even more than they bargained for from the Mercer transfer since he arrived in Tuscaloosa back in the spring.
"I knew there was a skill set to work with; he was athletically further ahead, it was better than I even anticipated; I think better than what any of us anticipated when we got here. He came out here in the fourth quarter program and is running drills, and you realize that there’s a lot to work with here.
"And then Mo Linguist, from a fundamental standpoint, from a development standpoint, is as good as it gets. So Melo has just dove in. He’s got a professional mindset. He works at it every day; he’s very coachable. He’s just made huge strides in the last eight months."
O'Neal could turn out to be a steal in the portal for Alabama. He was an under-the-radar addition. An upside swing that is already proving to be a gem.
That might not be immediately evident this fall. Brown and Lee have the potential to be as good as any duo in the country at corner. It will be difficult to take either of those two off the field. But there's a role for O'Neal to play in this defense, and he'll see some playing time based on the praise that Wommack has heaped on him.
Alabama already had one of the top secondaries in college football, and O'Neal has the upside to make it even more formidable.
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