Everything Kane Wommack said after Alabama's 10th spring practice
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack spoke to local reporters after Wednesday’s 10th football practice of the spring. Below is everything Wommack said.
Wommack on how things looked during and after Alabama’s first scrimmage…
“In the scrimmage the other day, I didn’t think we did a good enough job leveraging the run. Our offense does a really good job of getting hats to the point of attack. They crack-replace and do a lot of different things that force your secondary to be able to come up and fit the run. I thought they did a really nice job of establishing some of the runs the other day.
“I was really pleased with the last two practices of how our guys got those things fixed. And that’s really all you want to see is young defensive backs make a mistake and then they’re able to get it corrected moving forward. If we can continue to do that on this trajectory, we’ll be in a good position by Aug. 31.”
Wommack on what he’s seen from the young defensive backs…
“They’re hungry. They have an urgency to get things fixed. They have an awareness of what mistake they made and how they need to get it corrected. If you walk up in our coach’s offices at night, we all go up and grade the film on our own as coaches, and then in the morning, we’ll come back.
“But at night, there’s a bunch of freshmen in every single coach’s room, getting better, learning, taking every mental rep they can. You see them on the sideline, they’re locked in. These guys don’t act like freshmen. They act like guys that want to be great and act like guys that have been there before. That’s really impressive from this group.”
Wommack on if the interior defensive line depth will help with Alabama’s pass rush…
“When you have guys that stay fresh throughout the game, that’s such a huge piece of what offenses are trying to do now. It’s like body blows in a boxing match. They trying to wear your defensive line down so at the end of the game, they can go execute against a worn-down defensive line in terms of pass rush and all those things.
“So I think rotations are important early in the game, making sure that we continue to mix guys in the rotation. We’ve got a lot of talent. I think when we can move in and out of four down and some 3-4 structures and do some different things on the interior to get the right one-on-one match-ups we want. Ultimately, that’s what it comes down to: can we get the right one-on-one match-ups in pass rush based off of whatever scheme we’re trying to get done there.
“I think from a depth standpoint and a talent standpoint we’ve got some pieces that we can work with, personnel-wise.”
Wommack on what the football team gets from the basketball team’s success right now…
“I’ve gotten to know Coach (Nate) Oats a few years ago. In fact, Tom Allen who I worked for a few years ago and Kalen (DeBoer) worked for, Nate went to the same college years ago as Tom Allen. So, I kind of made that connection.
“Always been impressed with him, love the way he carries himself, the way he leads his team. It is fun to watch people that do things at a really high level and do things the right way have success. To see Coach Oats and what that team has done and how hard they have worked, and you see a bunch of guys who are seniors now that have worked a long time to get to this point and get rewarded on the back end of their careers is special. So, I’m excited to see them.”
Wommack on what he wants to see from his defense going forward…
“I want to see us continue to be able to fit the run the way that we need to. I think we’ve done a good job with those things. Sometimes in the first scrimmage, it’s always the hardest one because an offense is putting in their install. Typically, they throw more pass plays than you have run plays in an install. So you see more passes in the first seven practices and all the sudden you get to a scrimmage and it’s live and they’re running the ball.
“So I want to see those guys make those corrections and sustain corrections. The worst thing as a coach is to know that you’ve got something corrected and then it shows back up two or three practices later. So just that our guys can sustain corrections that they’ve made over the last two or three practices.”
Wommack on who’s emerging amongst the edge rushers…
“I think I’ve seen a number of our guys flash right now. I think you can point to a guy like Q (Quandarrius) Robinson, who’s been here a long time. He’s done some really good things. I think he’s continuing to settle into what we’re doing defensively, understanding the scheme. We’re fairly multiple at that position in terms of what we ask that player to do.
“I think Keanu Koht has a real burst. I think he’s done some special things in pass rush. I’ve been really pleased with Qua Russaw over the last couple of days. And then to me, Yhonzae Pierre has a really special skill set. So I’m pleased with each one of those guys, particularly when it comes to their pass rush ability. I think we’re moving in the right direction there.”
Wommack on his early impressions of the new coaches he’s not already familiar with…
“A coaching staff, there’s a certain connection that those guys have to have. There’s a gel that takes place over time. All of us come from different backgrounds, different walks of life, different experiences, different plays that have hurt us defensively. We’re all wounded as coaches out there. So you’re trying to figure out what we do well here at Alabama with our personnel, our coaching staff and what our guys teach well.
“I’ve been really pleased. I think this group has probably gelled as well any group I’ve been a part of. I do think that’s the role as a coordinator, creating buy-in on your staff, creating camaraderie, not just with the players but the coaches. When you have experienced guys, like Maurice Linguist, who has been a head coach, who has been a coordinator, he’s been in those moments, and seen the game from different perspectives. I think it makes it that much easier to come in and create buy-in for the rest of the staff, and I’ve really been pleased with all of our coaches.”
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