Henry To'oTo'o evaluates his play as he enters second season at Alabama

Henry To’oTo’o could have easily forgone his senior year at Alabama and instead gone through the NFL Draft process. Instead, he will be returning for the 2022 season with the Crimson Tide, hoping to win a national championship.

Spring practice concluded inside the program on Saturday, with A-Day occurring at Bryant Denny Stadium. After the game, To’oTo’o was asked how his game has improved heading into his second year. He said open field work is where a lot of the focus has been, before talking about the experience the Alabama defense returns next season. You can tell how excited the linebacker is for the calendar to turn to the fall.

“As far as improving on my game, I think I have a lot of areas to improve,” To’oTo’o said. “I think open field movement is a huge part of my game and I think that’s one area I can improve. As far as coming back, I think it’s huge. I think we’re gelling well on the defensive side of the ball. We got a lot of experience. Guys like Will (Anderson), Jordan (Battle), got DJ (Dale) in the front. Just being able to communicate, have everybody on the same page has been huge. I think this spring was huge for us, being able to make strides we needed. We’re excited for the fall.”

To’oTo’o will be a returning starter for defensive coordinator Pete Golding after joining from Tennessee last season. There will be a new linebacking partner out there but To’oTo’o was going to be the main guy, no matter who stepped in. Any kind of improvement upon his 111 tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss, and four sacks and the linebacker will see his name shooting up draft boards.

Jaylen Moody discusses how he can compliment Henry To’oTo’o

During press availability for Alabama after spring practice this week, fellow linebacker Jaylen Moody was asked how he would describe his game, and how he can be used to complement the talents of To’oTo’o on the field.

“I think I’m a very instinctive guy,” answered Moody. “I definitely like to say that I process things very well. I just let a lot of things come to me. I just feel like I’m a very instinctive player. I can help the team in so many ways by just doing my job, showing that I’m ready for any situation or just being able to play my role. I think I communicate very well. I think I help on the defense by being able to be vocal, put people in position and also understanding where everybody needs to be as a linebacker. Being able to be versatile, playing Mike and Will.”

Moody has seen action on the field at linebacker and special teams throughout his career with Alabama, using his versatility to impact the game however coach Nick Saban needs.