Heading into last season, there was plenty of genuine concern for the Alabama secondary with a new coaching staff, and only one returning starter in Malachi Moore. This year, the Crimson Tide returns four players in the secondary with starting experience from a year ago.
Even after losing Moore the NFL, Alabama returns two safeties who started plenty of games a year ago in Keon Sabb and Bray Hubbard. Sabb started next to Moore last season, but after he suffered a season-ending injury in Alabama's loss to Tennessee, it was Hubbard who stepped in and started for the rest of the season. The two of them together is a big reason for the optimism for how good Alabama's defensive backs can be in 2025.
Will they be the best tandem in the country? PFF thinks so:
Alabama has the best Safety duo in the country🐘 pic.twitter.com/LO5SnxYfge
— PFF College (@PFF_College) June 11, 2025
Hubbard and Sabb both have ball-hawking tendencies. They combined to pick off five passes last year. Sabb is billed as more a ballhawk, while Hubbard is viewed as more of the in-the-box safety who will come downhill and lay the lumber. Hubbard also looked pretty good as a ballhawk, too.
Combing those two with Alabama returning both starting corners from last season in senior Domani Jackson and sophomore Zabien Brown, and the Tide may have the best secondary in the country next season. Alabama added an impressive transfer from Utah in Cam Calhoun, and 5-star corner Dijon Lee Jr. to an already talented group of corners.
With Maurice Linguist moving from coaching strictly corners to the entire secondary, you can expect growth from the safeties just like we saw from the young corners.
Alabama's depth at safety is strong behind the obvious starters
Kane Wommack's defense should be well equipped to deal with injury, or even just lackluster play, this season. While Sabb and Hubbard are entrenched as the starters, Alabama has talent waiting in the wings.
Rising sophomore Zay Mincey made the swap from corner to safety during bowl practices. Mincey started at safety next to Hubbard in the ReliaQuest Bowl due to an injury to Malachi Moore. He played admirably in his first collegiate start and is likely to carve out some kind of role in his second season on campus.
There's also redshirt freshman Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. and true freshman Ivan Taylor, two legacy recruits who reportedly had strong springs. Either one of them is good enough to earn playing time, but there is a lot of talent in front of them at the moment.
But Wommack showed a propensity last season to rotate his defensive backs, so don't be surprised if all five earn playing time. And don't expect much of a drop-off regardless of who is on the field.