Kane Wommack reveals defensive points of emphasis during spring practice

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – After his first season as Alabama’s defensive coordinator ended, Kane Wommack listed points of emphasis for the Crimson Tide defense during the offseason.

Wommack shared those with reporters on Monday as he recapped Alabama’s spring camp.

“The first thing that we wanted to make sure we did was continue to build depth that we can trust when it matters most,” Wommack said.

“You think about certain games that we had this past season, particularly on the back end, we did not have a lot of depth, and it showed up. You’re playing Tennessee, you’re playing really well in the second half of that game. Five of our top six defensive backs were out, and we had not built enough depth there at that position to be able to handle that. 

“Those are things that I think guys that are efficient in their execution, guys that we can trust to go out there and do their job. I think we’ve addressed those needs in a number of areas, which I’m excited about.”

On the back end, Alabama lost four players and added four players, but not only did it welcome back four players with multiple starts, several defensive backs who played meaningful reps in 2024 are back for another season. The players that joined the Tide’s secondary are also oozing with talent and potential, making for a deeper group for the 2025 campaign.

Wommack also wanted more production up front, particularly behind the line of scrimmage, as Alabama finished his inaugural season in Tuscaloosa with only 25 sacks (T-13th in SEC).

“We wanted to create more negative plays,” Wommack said. “When you look at some of our measurables and statistics and all those things last season, there’s a lot of great numbers to point towards. But one thing we wanted to focus on was creating negative plays and getting to the quarterback in the backfield. 

“That’s something that schematically we can get better at, point of emphasis we can get better at it, fundamentally we can get better at it. A lot of it is just doing your job. A lot of times, when you create negative plays and you affect the quarterback in the passing game, it doesn’t just mean you win a 1-on-1 battle, but you rush as a unit, and you keep the quarterback in the pocket as we show them different coverages on the back end. 

“Those are things I think we took steps in the right direction.”

The top two priorities were developing depth and generating negative plays. But the list did not end there. Wommack continued to discuss areas of focus for Alabama’s defense this spring and praised his unit for the level of control the Tide played with during the 15 practices.

“We wanted to continue to become more and more disciplined in limiting explosive plays and also keep the penalty numbers lower,” Wommack said. “I think we’ve got guys playing with more discipline, playing within themselves, doing their job. Nothing extra, no foolish penalties. 

“In three scrimmages that were all over 100 plays that we ran, we only had five penalties amongst those three scrimmages on defense. That’s a really tremendous number to look towards and really I think three of those five penalties happened on guys that were maybe third or whatever on the depth chart. 

“Some real positives there in terms of the discipline we’re playing with right now coming out of spring.”

Finally, the Alabama coordinator likes what he’s seen from an understanding standpoint.

“Probably the last thing is continuing to bring more people along to understand how to play with offensive recognition,” Wommack said. “That ultimately, right, when you get to a red zone or third down or 2-minute drive, whatever it may be, to have that offensive recognition to recognize what the offense is getting ready to do and to play with more anticipation. 

“Those are things I think we’re starting to bring some younger players along to play with a little more offensive recognition that now needs to continue to carry into the summertime. Then certainly fall camp and you get all those reps, right, before we open up against Florida State.”

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