Alabama's X-man the lone returning starter in the defensive middle

Due to injuries and playing so many freshmen, Alabama relying on veteran defensive back Xavier McKinney more than ever

Alabama Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Nowadays, there’s a statistic for nearly everything in college football, from yards after contact to release-time variables. But one thing that coaches are always looking for on the defensive side is simply being around the ball.

Some players have a knack for it, resulting in tackles and turnovers alike, and can often be the difference in being good and outstanding.

Junior safety Xavier McKinney needed just one game to establish himself as the player who will be around it the most this season. Against Duke in the season opener he led the Crimson Tide in tackles even though the Blue Devils only completed 12 passes.

It’s with that in mind, though, that he was constantly teased by his teammates during the next few days. On one play, McKinney not only read the pass and jumped the receiver on his route, so the ball went right to him … only to have it go right through his hands.

“We need to work on some more ball drills after practice,” senior cornerback Trevon Diggs said with a laugh.

It didn’t matter that McKinney played with an injured thump, which is still bothering him. The Crimson Tide receivers were especially unsympathetic. He’s usually making their lives miserable.

“At the end of practice he’s always with us catching extra passes,” junior DeVonta Smith said. “We told him he needs to do that.”

Kidding aside, McKinney was Alabama’s most improved player in the secondary last season, finishing third in tackles with 73, including six for a loss and three sacks – as the coaching staff started to trust him to blitz in the right situations.

One of his two interceptions resulted in a pick-six as McKinney returned it 30 yards for a touchdown at Ole Miss, plus he was also named the defensive most valuable player of the Orange Bowl, where Alabama defeated Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff semifinal.

In the process (pun intended), he became a player that every opposing offense has to account for on each snap.

“He’s real physical,” Smith said. “Just the instincts he has, he can be anywhere. At the beginning of a play you can see him deep and then at the snap of the ball he’ll be by the ball. His instincts he has for the ball and how he’s always around, how he’s always attacking the ball.”

Not only is his anticipation at a high level, but so is his technique. McKinney does the little things right and often plays the safety position like he’s a cornerback. In 2018 he even played some in the slot after cornerback Trevon Diggs suffered a season-ending injury.

Not a lot of safeties could do that.

An interception for Xavier McKinney to cap off his great day against South Carolina. Easy read and great job high pointing the ball. pic.twitter.com/8FKCJGZBAM

— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) September 14, 2019

This year he’s been sliding over to the position called “money” in the dime package, which is basically a defensive back playing an interior linebacker position when the defense utilizes six defensive backs in obvious passing situations. It’s a better matchup in pass coverage, although McKinney’s tackling skills are on par with anyone’s.

In addition to his versatility, a big reason why coaches can use him that way is that the secondary as a whole has vastly improved.

During the spring the Crimson Tide only had one new player in the base formation, who was stepping in for an early departure for the NFL draft. Even the nickel and dime it had experienced players who were already familiar with the system and each other, including one 37 games to his credit – senior Shyheim Carter.

That’s the exact opposite of 2018, when everyone including McKinney was new, and we mean everyone. Consequently, the secondary has gone from being the most inexperienced position group on the Crimson Tide to one of Alabama’s most accomplished and established.

It's become especially important considering all the injuries and Alabama starting so many true freshmen – including nose tackle D.J. Dale, interior linebackers Shane Lee and Christian Harris, and defensive end Justin Ebiogbe – on the defensive front seven.

The secondary is already a position group where having experience is huge, but Alabama will be relying on its defensive backs more than ever the rest of the season.

“Very comfortable,” was how McKinney described the secondary during the spring. “I feel like we got very close over the time we had in camp. We got very close. Everyone was communicating, everyone was on the same page. I feel like it’s going to be a good year.”

Moreover, Nick Saban, who works with the defensive backs during practices, added an extra assistant coach in the secondary with Charles Kelly, the former defensive coordinator at Florida State. While he’s handling the safeties, Karl Scott is focused on the cornerbacks.

So there’s a lot to like with this group led by McKinney, who is the one to relay play calls and call out adjustments.

“Yeah, there’s definitely a lot more experience with the guys we have now since we have game experience and a lot of us have played,” McKinney said. “I think that’s a big thing. It helps us with our chemistry.”

As for filling the void left by Deionte Thompson, senior Jared Mayden had a solid spring and ended a lot of the angst surrounding the position.

“That’s my boy,” McKinney said. “He’s an older guy so he already knows how things work around here. He knows the plays. So there’s not really much you can’t do with him. He knows everything. He’s just out there just playing ball.”

Mayden made his first career start in the season opener against Duke, and even if you watched the game you probably didn’t notice him much. In this case it was a good thing. It meant he wasn’t getting beat or making mistakes.

Courtesy Alabama Athletics

“Last year it was more of we were trying to get to know each other,” McKinney said. “We hadn’t really gelled yet. There were a lot of people that were new to the defense, a lot of people who didn’t know the defense as well.

“But this year it’s more, we’ve got a whole bunch of faces that pretty much have played with each other. We’ve got a feel for one another, so I think that’s what makes our defense special, and that’s is what going to make our defense great this year.”

Go back to that confidence thing, and it’s a huge part of playing in the secondary. Everyone has more, and its feeding the other players.

Factor in the added experience, roles better defined and having talented cornerbacks he doesn’t have to worry about, and McKinney can focus on doing what he does best, being around the ball.

“Man, it feels great,” McKinney said.