Chris Braswell feeling more confident ahead of Year 4 at Alabama

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Chris Braswell saw an increased role last season, serving as Alabama’s third outside linebacker behind starters Will Anderson and Dallas Turner. With Anderson now in the NFL, Braswell has stepped up this offseason and is poised for an even bigger year.

“Chris Braswell has made an impact when he’s had the opportunity to play,” head coach Nick Saban said. “Now, he’s got the opportunity to be a full-time starter. He’s a mature player. He’s gotten bigger and stronger. He’s a good pass rusher. So we expect him to do well this season and have a great year. We want to do everything we can to help him do that.”

New defensive coordinator Kevin Steele echoed Saban’s thoughts on the senior linebacker.

“Very talented, very talented,” Steele said of Braswell. “Smart football player, has the ability to rush the passer, to get on the quarterback. He’s really – when you look at him and watch him, you may not think about it – but he has a physicality about him.”

Braswell played in all 13 games this past season and registered 40 tackles, four tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and six hurries. The Baltimore, Md., native was the third piece in Alabama’s “cheetah” package, which was created to get the team’s top three edge rushers on the field at the same time. That experience was beneficial for Braswell in his third year in the program and helped to make him ready for an even larger role this fall as he is set to start alongside Turner.

“I feel a lot more confident, a lot better,” Braswell said Thursday. “I’ve been working on a lot of things in my game – just getting better at pass-rushing, striking, run-blocking, just getting better overall with everything. You can always get better.”

The last three years, Braswell was able to watch another talented player, Anderson, before he went on to be the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Braswell will take over the spot in the starting lineup Anderson left vacant and shared what he learned from the All-American after he watched him start as a freshman and blossom into college football’s top defensive player.

“It goes back to the little things,” Braswell said. “He was always focused on the little things – being disciplined, hand behind the line, focusing on your keys, looking at the offensive line, the ball, just focusing on the little things. And obviously, the little things will lead to the bigger things.”

Braswell’s thoughts on new guys in OLB room

Even with Anderson moving on, the Crimson Tide’s outside linebacker room is full of former top recruits, including Braswell. This summer, two more elite high school prospects entered the mix as Keon Keeley and Yhonzae Pierre enrolled at Alabama in late May. Prior to Day 7 of camp, Braswell was asked to give his early impressions of the pair of 5-star true freshmen.

“They’re both great young guys,” Braswell said of Keeley and Pierre. “They’re still learning the system. They’re both very explosive and they run well.”

Keeley and Pierre join a room that already featured Braswell, Turner, Quandarrius Robinson, Keanu Koht, Jeremiah Alexander and early enrollee Qua Russaw. Six of the eight were 5-star recruits out of their high schools, while all of them were ranked among the top 100 players in their respective classes. While there isn’t as much experience at the position as some of UA’s other groups, is the outside ‘backer room the deepest on the Tide’s 2023 roster?

“One of the deepest,” Braswell said. “We’ve got a lot of guys, and a lot of position groups have a lot of guys, as well. We’re just all trying to work, trying to get better, focus on the little things, be disciplined. Just trying to tighten up as a team.”

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