Nick Saban pleased with production of Trezmen Marshall

Alabama linebacker Trezman Marshall is hitting all the right notes this season, and it’s music to Nick Saban’s ears. After the Crimson Tide’s 40-21 win over Mississippi State on Saturday, the Alabama head coach discussed Marshall’s performance.

“I was really pleased with him,” Saban said. “He’s been a really good addition for us. He’s got maturity, an older guy. He doesn’t get rattled out there. Got a lot of mental toughness and he’s been a really solid player for us all year.”

Marshall’s performance against Mississippi State might have been his best showing yet. In the win, the redshirt senior tallied nine tackles and a team-high 1.5 sacks. In five games, Marshall has amassed 30 tackles, the second-most on the team behind defensive back Caleb Downs.

Marshall joined the Crimson Tide this offseason after spending four years with Georgia. While there, the 6-foot-1 LB appeared in 35 games, boosting UGA to two consecutive national titles. In 2022, Marshall saw time as a reserve in 14 games of the 2022 season, totaling 19 tackles, including 4.5 for loss.

A new role for Trezmen Marshall

Obviously, the Georgia native is off to a far better start in his new environment. Marshall had to take a significant step up in that environment on Saturday. Deontae Lawson, Alabama’s typical signal-caller on defense, was out against Mississippi State due to an ankle injury.

Marshall took his place leading the defense.

“I believe in this team. I like this team. [We] got some guys beat up, and it hurts us a little bit, you know. [Deontae] Lawson, signal caller out there. Trezmen Marshall did a really good job,” Saban said. “We had a couple of mistakes on, with the backers, when they run sliders, and the tight end comes across the backfield.

“Depending on what the defense is and what the fit is, everybody’s gotta know, ‘How do I slide back in my gap, and who takes the gap?’ Well, a couple times, one time for sure, we didn’t take them. A couple other times, we took them when we weren’t supposed to take them. So that linebacker that was taking him should have been playing a gap. And that comes with experience. But Trez did a really good job of the game.”

With Marshall leading the way, Alabama held Mississippi State to just 261 total yards. The team will need his leadership once again this weekend. On Saturday, Alabama will face off against Texas A&M at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on CBS.