Everything Alabama Defensive Coordinator Kane Wommack Said To Kick Off Western Kentucky Week

The Crimson Tide defensive coordinator has been preparing since January for this weekend's game.

Kane Wommack / Joe Gaither Screenshot

Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack spent time in the Naylor Stone Media room on Monday as the Crimson Tide is getting set for the season opening game against Western Kentucky. Below you'll find the entire transcript form Wommack's time behind the podium.

Wommack’s opening statement…

“Excited to finally be in game week. Obviously, it’s been a whirlwind eight months for our guys, for us as a coaching staff. A lot to get done, and eight months may sound like a long time but it’s a very short window to get all the things you need in order to get a football team prepared to go execute on Saturday. I think Coach DeBoer’s done a really tremendous job just preparing our guys through all the situations, getting our guys prepared for all the things that they need to in order to execute and maximize their opportunities.

“I think from a workload standpoint, our strength staff, our training staff has done a really tremendous job navigating our guys, getting them ready for fall camp and then getting them ready here for the season. I think the days leading up from the last scrimmage that we had – whenever that was, a little over a week ago – to where we are right now, we’ve done a great job of managing their bodies and getting some of their legs back and all those things and still being physical and keeping the main thing the main thing at the same time.

“And so here we are at game week, and we’ve got a little bit of a jump on Western Kentucky than we would in our normal Monday, which is really nice to kind of ease into that first game plan and let our guys get a feel for how we run scout teams, how we game plan.

“Most of our offseason is spent on teaching the guys, from a defensive perspective, we teach them the defensive concepts. We never teach them exactly what their job is. We talk about the bigger concept of the defense – this is how we play Cover 3. This is how we play Cover 1. Now, here’s your role within the framework of the defense. Here’s how teams are going to attack us in these coverages, the weaknesses, the strengths. Then we talk about the situational application – here’s how Cover 3 or this call is applied on third down versus the red zone versus 2-minute when they need a field goal and 2-minute when they need a touchdown. Those are two totally different scenarios, and we apply our concepts differently.

“But now, the majority of time will be focused on offensive recognition, and I think that’s where we have done a great job over the years in getting our players to play defense with anticipation, whereas defense is inherently reactionary. We’re starting to get our guys to understand those formations, those concepts that will happen in downs to downs where a guy can make a difference in a ballgame.

“Our players are leaning into that really well. We’ve got some very smart young men on defense. Some guys that have seen a lot of ball. Some guys that have not seen a lot of collegiate football. And I think our leaders are doing a really good job of kind of setting the tone of what those scout periods are supposed to look like. So it’s game week, we’re ready to roll.”

Wommack on communication in the secondary, Malachi Moore…

“When you have a guy like Malachi Moore, you really set the standard in terms of the leadership. I think when you talk about leadership and being a person that emulates what it’s supposed to look like, leading by example, he is one of the hardest workers that I’ve ever seen in practice every single day. Whether it’s a workout, whether it’s a walk-through, whether it’s a practice, he really sets the standard of what it’s supposed to look like down in and down out, play in and play out. When he goes to the sideline, he’s constantly communicating with other guys on the defense about what we need to fix, what we saw out there in real-time.

“Him and Deontae Lawson, I think, are truly special communicators that have had a lot of experience in this defense. But when you add guys like Jihaad Campbell, who have been here but maybe have not had the rep base of experience like those guys, I think he’s done a tremendous job. But particularly on the back end, I think Keon Sabb has been phenomenal. His ability – I mean, I was so impressed even with Week 1 when he got here and we started doing some little walk-throughs and meetings and all that kind of stuff, his retention of our defense. And now, he’s starting to play with anticipation. He’s communicating at a high level. And if you can keep up with Malachi Moore, I think that’s a pretty good job there.”

Wommack on his experience facing Western Kentucky QB TJ Finley…

“Obviously, when a player has had experience playing against a team, there’s a certain level of comfort, especially if you’ve been in a stadium or whatever that may be. But then when you’ve faced a guy you’ve seen in real-time, how he responds to success, how he responds to adversity. Quarterbacks are so much of what progression does this quarterback go through? What is his presnap routine? What does his cadence look like? And so getting to see some of those things in real-time has certainly helped. I would probably say it helps on both sides in some ways.

“But really impressed with him a year ago. I thought he’s got a really good release. He can make all the throws. I thought he did a really good job of managing their offense really well. Took what was given early but can work through a progression. And so it’ll be interesting to see how Tyson and their staff utilize him maybe different than what GJ Kinne did or the Auburn staff before that or whatever it may be. But I think he’s got a skillset that you can utilize in a number of different ways.

“And then he’s a big son a gun, so he’s a guy that can fall forward and if he does, he’s gonna go for three or four yards just getting downhill. One of the things that we really lean into is what are their escape styles. He may have a very different escape style than what we’ve seen from Ty Simpson or Jalen Milroe, and those are things that we wanna get our guys very clued into as we’re getting ready to match these guys up from a personnel standpoint.”

Progress of cornerbacks..

“Maurice Lindguist does a tremendous job and has done a tremendous job with those players whether they are guys who have had experience in college football but did not play at Alabama or if they are freshmen, I think everyone in that room is trending in the right direction. That to me is a great indicator of tremendous coaching and also a tremendous indicator of young men who have an opportunity and are trying to make the most of their opportunity.

“When you’ve got guys like Domani Jackson who have played the game, whether he’s learning a new defense, learning a new culture, a new system, a new way of doing things, he’s has really taken that up, great leaps for him.

“DaShawn Jones has really done a tremendous job in a short amount of time. I think from when he got here to where he is now, physically he has changed his body. You often don’t see that from older players. I think his body has changed and that’s a credit to Dave Ballou and our strength staff.

“Those younger freshmen have been really impressive. All three of those freshmen DBs should still be in high school in the spring. What’s impressive to me is when they would make a mistake they would correct it and often not make it again. I think each one of them has taken a major step forward through the off-season, through the summertime, into fall camp, so you are going to see a lot of them play. So it’s really exciting. Experience is finite. Sometimes we’re going to through adversities, take their lumps every now and then as young freshmen, but they have shown they can get it fixed. If they continue to do that, they’ll continue to elevate their game throughout the season.”

You faced Western Kentucky in 2022 at South Alabama. What about their offense challenges you?

“I’ve always been impressed with Tyson Helton, Clay Helton, I’ve gone against those guys, they’ve come through Jeff Brohm, Petrino, some of what they do schematically I think is one of the better offensive systems in the country.

“They do a really good job of attacking you vertically down the field but they take easy access throws as you give them in the passing game. They are creative in the running game. They are not afraid to run their quarterback and get into one-plus offensive game to create extra match-ups and extra numbers at the point of attack in the run game.

“They are creative guys. They are going to utilize tempo to their advantage, they do a really good job of formations in and out of tempo, maybe things you haven’t worked on. You see all kinds of tricks, all kinds of different shots, stuff like that. They are aggressive play-callers. I have seen them over the years and it’s really admirable the way they go about things, impressive how aggressive they are in certain areas. We’re going to have our work cut out for us. “You can say what you want about Group of Five vs. Power Four match-up or whatever we are, but this is a very dynamic offense that will challenge us in a number of ways schematically, so we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

 

Given his background with Western Kentucky, will you utilize Bryan Ellis?

“We’re going to utilize all the resources of our program and personnel and people and experiences they’ve had to maximize our opportunities for game day.”

He’s had to wait his time, but what impresses you about Que Robinson at Wolf?

“Que has been here a long time. He’s worked his tail off day-in and day-out. He’s a guy who has had the majority of his role on special teams, but when he has gone in he knows what to do. I think he has elevated his game from a production point on defense. I see some really good things from him, in terms of not just a guy who knows his job but knows how to create in the backfield and create in some of the things that we’re doing with him in pass defense. I’ve been very impressed with him. He’s a great leader, a steady presence out there, he works his tail off, so he’s a great example of what it’s supposed to look like.

“And he’s not afraid to have the uncomfortable conversations, the challenging conversations with someone he sees that may not be holding to the standard the way he knows it is supposed to be done. That cannot be undervalued, especially with a younger defense like we have here.”

On the steadiness of Kalen DeBoer:

"I think one of the things that has always impressed me about Kalen is, whether you're game planning, or hanging out on your back porch at the pool, or you're in the fourth quarter in the middle of a big game, he's the same guy. That is a superpower, it really is. The way he is able to keep the main thing, the main thing, amidst all the noise, is something that I think has served him well as a head coach, it served him well as a coordinator. I think our players lean into that humble confidence that he shows in those moments. You don't take the Alabama job after Coach Saban if you don't have a certain level of confidence about you. But there's a level of humility that he carries himself, that I think Greg Byrne made the perfect hire, in terms of what Kalen brings to the table for this team, and carrying on the legacy that certainly Coach Saban has set, and then other greats before him as well. Knowing that was a huge reason why I wanted to come here, I loved by opportunity and loved my time at South Alabama, I enjoyed being a head coach. But I think some of those things, right, being in the foxhole with him, seeing the confidence that he carries day in and day out is something that I wanted to be a part of his staff here as well. I'm excited to go through the foxhole again with him."

On the anticipation and nerves of a new job:

"I think there's always nerves to a degree, right. It's like getting ready for a big trip with a family of five, right, three boys. What did I forget? What did I miss? Did I pack everything the right way? I think you're trying to go through those checklists, make sure you did all the right things, and then it's game day. It's exciting. One of the fun things about college football is that you only get a small amount of opportunities to show the work that you put in year round. We put all this work in, we put all these man hours in, all the time and energy, sacrifices we make away from our family, for three and a half hours. So, from that perspective, right, it's exciting. It'll be something that our players are chomping at the bit, our coaches are ready to go. I will say, I feel in my element as a coordinator. I loved my time as a head coach, I enjoyed that as well, but this feels very familiar to me. I just enjoy calling plays, that's probably one of the things I missed the last three years, is not getting to be the play caller on game day. I'm looking forward to doing that again."

On the wolf room:

"Christian Robinson, I have known for a number of years. He's worked in this system before. He worked with my dad, coached linebackers alongside with him, so he knows what the standard's supposed to look like schematically and the versatility that wolf position brings to our defense as well. I've been really impressed with that group as a room. I think they all have versatile skillsets that we're going to be able to utilize in different ways schematically, personnel groupings that we have on the field. You may see multiple of those guys at different times in the games, depending on the situation. Their ability to do multiple things from a mental standpoint and from a physical standpoint will allow us to utilize them a number of different ways. Christian has done a really good job of getting them prepared for that, and I think those guys have really leaned into that process as well. 

On defensive qualities that need to translate on Saturday:

"I think one of the things that we always look for is that there is an energy that you have to play the game with from a defensive standpoint. There's a certain level of juice, there's a physicality that the game's supposed to be played with from a defensive standpoint. I think when you turn on the tape, and really watching as a head coach the last three years has solidified that in my mind, how the game is supposed to be played defensively. When you turn on the tape it is evident that those guys play at a fever pitch, or they don't. We always want to be the team that when you turn on the tape we're playing a swarm defense mentality football. Eleven bodies that are responsible for stopping the offense, whether run or pass, playing with tremendous effort and finish. That's four to six seconds from point A to point B with violent intentions when we get there. And that needs to show up on Saturday. Those are the things I think I've seen from them, they took it to another level. I think in the springtime you're still learning this defense, all the nuances are complicated and some of the things you're still thinking about. But I saw them kind of kick some things into gear as we started fall camp, and we probably finished in that last scrimmage in about as good a place as you could ask for right now. We've got to go do it. But we're gonna take some lumps. Adversity's gonna hit and they're gonna happen, but how we respond to it, and if we can keep the main thing the main thing with just playing with relentless aggression, we'll be fine on defense here.