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Henry To'o To'o reveals driving force behind his return to Alabama

47377776_10156854436900775_2208546246019252224_nby:Clint Lamb•03/25/22•

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Photo courtesy of Alabama Athletics

Henry To’o To’o had a lot of success in his first season at Alabama. After transferring in from Tennessee, the now senior linebacker took on a role as the communicator of the Crimson Tide’s defense while also producing 112 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks and a forced fumble.

So, why didn’t To’o To’o leave early for the NFL? On Friday afternoon, he spoke with the media to explain his reasoning for a return.

“Definitely losing the national championship game,” To’o To’o said. “That’s kinda my main goal. You know, being able to come back and finish things how I wanted and just leave everybody happy. That’s the ultimate goal every single season. We chase perfection here, and that’s kinda the main reason why I wanted to come back.”

The decision makes sense if you think about it.

After a respectable 8-5 season in Knoxville under Jeremy Pruitt in 2019, To’o To’o saw the success of his team decline to an ugly 3-7 record in 2020. That ultimately led to the firing of Pruitt, but regardless of 8- or 3-win seasons, that program wasn’t in any sort of position to compete for a national championship.

Alabama, on the other hand, is in the conversation every year.

Unfortunately, the Crimson Tide fell just short of that goal in 2021 after losing 33-18 to Georgia in Indianapolis, but there’s excitement around this 2022 team. If Alabama can provide answers to questions about its offensive line and wide receivers, this new group could once again challenge for a national title.

To’o To’o wants to be a part of that run.

But how does Alabama prevent itself from coming up short again in the title hunt? Defensively, To’o To’o believes it all comes down to fundamentals.

“A lot of the fundamental things that we were obviously struggling with,” To’o To’o told reporters on Friday. “Causing fumbles, a lot of missed tackles that we had from last year. So coming into this spring, it’s been huge for us, honestly. Being able to hone in on fundamentals that we messed up on last year.”

Senior defensive lineman DJ Dale echoed something similar on Friday.

“Communication and missed tackles,” Dale responded when asked about things that need to be fixed defensively. “That’s where a lot of our busted plays come from, big plays with a lot of yards we gave up. Missed tackles and missed communications.”

If Alabama’s defense can get those two things corrected, the sky is the limit.

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