Alabama football has produced many great NFL players, particularly on the defensive side of the football. Some have even gone on to Hall of Fame careers. But none of them ever took home the AP's NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. Until now.
Former Crimson Tide CB Pat Surtain II made Alabama history by becoming the first former Tide player to win the illustrious award.
Not Cornelius Bennett, nor Lee Roy Jordan. No, not Derrick Thomas, either.
And none of the Nick Saban-era players before Surtain ever brought home the award. Not Dont'a Hightower or Jonathan Allen. Minkah Fitzpatrick and Marlon Humphrey, neither.
Surtain didn't put up the gaudy statistics that some others did. He only picked off four passes, though he led the league in interception return yardage thanks to a 100-yard pick-six against the Raiders. No, Surtain won the award for this:
Here’s a look at Pat Surtain’s performance against some of the top WRs in the NFL. This is as lockdown as it gets in the modern NFL. Well deserved DPOY #denverbroncos pic.twitter.com/wvzAeOvz3l
— Jackson Simons (@JacksonSimons15) February 7, 2025
Every Sunday he took on the challenge of facing the best receiver on the other team and more times than not, he won that battle. He's a lockdown corner in perhaps the toughest era of football to be a lockdown corner in thanks to the modern, wide-open offensive styles and the ridiculous amount of receiver talent.
Ja'Marr Chase won the NFL's receiving triple crown, leading the league in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. He ran 43 routes against Surtain this season and managed just three catches and 27 yards.
It's rare that corners get the flowers that Surtain did this season. The Defensive Player of the Year has almost exclusively been an award for elite edge rushers. Stephon Gilmore won the award with the Patriots in 2019. Prior to that the last defensive back to win the award was Troy Polamalu in 2010.
Alabama has one of the most illustrious histories in football. Accomplishing a feat that nobody else has is rare. Surtain did that on Thursday night.
And it might not be his last time winning this award. There are other Alabama players who could potentially win it down the road, too. Will Anderson Jr. probably has the best chance as an elite pass rusher. He recorded 11 sacks in just his second year in the league, a mark that finished tied for 10th in the NFL despite Anderson missing three games to injury.
Surtain is only 24 years old. His best football could still be ahead of him. He's not only the best cornerback on earth; currently, he's the best defensive player in the NFL, period.