Alabama DB Malachi Moore adjusting to life as a full-time safety
Malachi Moore has played four seasons at Alabama. In those four years, he’s played a whopping 2,334 snaps while starting 33 games, easily making him one of the most experienced players on the roster. Almost all of that action has while playing the Star position under former head coach Nick Saban though.
Now, Moore is making the transition back to safety full time under new defensive coordinator Kane Wommack. It’s not a completely new experience for him, as he’s played sparingly there throughout his career and even got a start at safety in the 2021 season opener against Miami. But for the most part, the former Hewitt-Trussville standout is adjusting to life as a true third-level defender.
“It was a little weird. I’m not going to lie. It was a little weird at first just from being that close to the line of scrimmage to now being so far back from the line of scrimmage,” Moore told reporters following Tuesday’s practice when asked how the transition has been to safety. “But as spring practice kept going on, I got more comfortable with it. I’m very comfortable with it now.”
Alabama has now held 13 practices this spring, so Moore has been given some time to adjust. And considering his vast experience over the last four years, it’s not surprising that he’d make this transition without many — if any — hiccups. As we said before, he has spent some time playing on the third level, so it isn’t completely foreign. It has been a while though.
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Wommack’s defense is favorable for safeties, too.
The position finished either first or second in tackles in each of the three seasons he was the head coach at South Alabama. That also held true when he was Indiana’s defensive coordinator back in 2020. Not only that, but the vision-oriented coverage that he likes to utilize puts safeties in a position to make plays on the ball. It’s a big why Jaden Voisin finished first on the Jaguars defense in interceptions (4) last season while also finishing second on the team in tackles with 71.
In many ways, the new Husky position is similar to Star under Saban, so it’s not like Wommack was forced to move Moore to a new position. At 6-foot, 198 pounds, the fifth-year senior is physical enough and agile enough to continue playing in the box and over a slot receiver. Husky is an important spot in this new defense, too. Playing further off the line of scrimmage will allow him to utilize his experience, football IQ and vision more to make plays on the ball though.
Alabama fans should be excited about Moore’s return, especially with all the departures on defense.
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