Pete Golding Embracing High Expectations for Alabama Defense

Alabama defensive coordinator knows the talent is there with nine starters returning from 2020's championship team.

Even though he has nine starters returning on defense plus the addition of some talented freshmen and a transfer, nothing changes when it comes to preparation and execution for Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding. 

"Coming off of last year, the kids did a great job, I thought they got better, but it's over," Golding said during Sunday morning's Media Day. "We've got to move on. We've got enough talent, but you've got to put the work in."

Golding emphasized that even though this defense has a lot of talent and experience, it does not matter if they do not prepare properly. 

With Alabama going back into 2020's COVID protocols for a few weeks, the defensive coach said when he put his mask on to walk in the building earlier this week, it reminded him of all the team sacrificed in 2020 to reach a championship.

"It took me back, not from a championship standpoint, but just how our kids edited their life for that personal bubble and all the things they gave up," Golding said. "It allowed them to focus on them doing their job, and they gave all that up for one reason, to have the ability to compete for a championship, and look what happened."

The talent won't be the issue for the defense according to Golding, but two areas of improvement he focused on were tackling and third down defense. 

Another big difference for this team, particularly the freshmen, is that they got to have a relatively normal spring when it comes to football and go through spring practice. It is much easier to install and learn a defense in person, rather than on Zoom for new players.

"That's kind of the big difference to me from last year at this point is for these young players on defense most of these guys had a spring, and I think that's big," Golding said. 

One area that Golding said he and head coach Nick Saban have both tried to focus on with the players is the value of turnovers. In 2020, each turnover turned into 4.7 points for the offense. So if the opponent is in the red zone, and then Alabama forces a turnover, it's a 12 point swing because the defense prevented seven points, and it averages to around five points for the offense.

At Alabama, there are lots of lofty goals and expectations when it comes to football, but Golding and his defense are embracing those goals.

The number one goal is to win the game. As a defensive coordinator he said his goal for the defense is to hold the opponent to 13 points or less, and that has not changed for him even with the high-powered offenses that have become prevalent in the SEC.

"They know the expectations of this place," Golding said. "They know what it is to play for an Alabama defense. It has nothing to do about being best in a conference. We're trying to be the best in the country."

For the 2021 Alabama defense, the journey to proving whether or not they are the best defense in the country begins Sept. 4 against Miami.