Alabama is severely banged up heading into this weekend's game against Texas A&M. That's a common theme around the SEC right now.
One of the positions of concern is at cornerback, where star junior Zabien Brown was knocked out of the game last week against Tennessee in the second quarter and didn't return. Brown has been one of the only bright spots in a secondary that has critically underperformed in 2026.
Brown was officially listed as questionable on Wednesday night on Alabama's first availability report of the week. He shares that designation with three other Tide players: RB EJ Crowell, C Racin Delgatty, and DE Fatutoa Henry.
With Dijon Lee's struggles, Carmelo O'Neal earned his first start for Alabama last week at Tennessee, but his performance left room for improvement. Lee still played a lot, and he left several plays on the field, too.
If Brown can't go, this could be the spot that Kane Wommack turns to a freshman - or two - to give them a real shot at a role.
True freshmen Jorden Edmonds and Zyan Gibson, both Top 75 recruits in the 2026 recruiting class, are waiting in the wings, hoping for an opportunity.
Jorden Edmonds and/or Zyan Gibson could have an opportunity vs. Texas A&M
If Brown is out, you can bet that at least one of the two will get a chance at non-garbage-time snaps. Alabama likes to rotate its corners a bit, and even if Lee and O'Neal start and play well, they're going to be taken off the field at some point and subbed out.
While Edmonds was the 5-star prospect, Gibson would likely get the first opportunity. The 4-star from Gadsden was listed as Brown's backup last week ahead of the Tennessee game. Edmonds has missed significant practice time after suffering an injury during fall camp. He's been off the injury report the last couple of weeks, but he's still working his way back into the fold.
Gibson could give Alabama some speed on the outside that they've been missing. Gibson isn't as big as Lee or O'Neal, at just a listed 6 feet. He ran track in high school and should be able to play some press-man coverage and not get burned over the top as a result.
Neither Gibson nor Edmonds saw any snaps last week against Tennessee, but this might be the opportunity to turn one, or both, loose. Marcel Reed has struggled as a passer this season, which could make this a softer spot to get them real reps than anyone would have thought in the preseason.
Alabama has to get better in the secondary. There's too much talent to be performing the way they have through the first seven games. And with the Crimson Tide in do-or-die time over the final five games of the regular season, nothing should be off the table.
No spots are safe. If a young player is going to put Alabama in a better position to win this game and others, then Kalen DeBoer and his staff have to make the change.
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