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DaShawn Jones feels “way more comfortable” as Alabama football’s husky nickel cornerback.
Moving from an outside corner spot to the nickel midway through 2024, Jones started at husky in Alabama’s loss to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl. But as the 2025 season nears, Jones said the battle for playing time at the nickel cornerback spot is still up for grabs.
“Everyone’s getting reps at the husky position,” Jones said. “I just feel like us taking it day by day kind of figuring out which guy is going to have an impact.”
It’s the conundrum Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack faces, and the question he asks himself constantly. Does he want his best five defensive backs on the field at the same time? Or is there still specific positional value at a place like nickel cornerback?
Wommack said he always wants to build as much depth as possible in the defensive backfield, balancing the need to “get the right people on the field at the right time.”
“So whether it be situationally, getting the right personnel on the field, being mindful of how the offense operates, are they gonna go tempo, are they gonna allow you to sub and get the right people on the field?” Wommack said. “So maybe you gotta be able to do that in a more creative way on first and second down. But ultimately, I think the job is to get the best 11 people on the field, but not at the expense of losing depth across the board, right?”
After Alabama’s second fall scrimmage, cornerback Zabien Brown was seen working at the nickel cornerback position during fall camp with true freshman Dijon Lee taking outside corner reps with Domani Jackson.
Wommack said “there’s a time and a place to get your best cover (cornerbacks) on the field,” and that the Crimson Tide is exploring every potential option and be ready to execute.
Utah transfer cornerback Cam Calhoun has also been cross-training at husky along with Jones and Dre Kirkpatrick Jr.
“You go back and you look, okay, what’s the best option to get the best two-deep across the board?” Wommack said. “How do we get the best players on the field? Cam’s certainly gonna be a part of that equation, probably in multiple areas.”
It’s a long season, Wommack said. National championship-winning teams will be expected to play an NFL-like schedule, an “unprecedented amount of games.” Depth is vital. And depth is valued at defensive back.
But it’s not the only thing Wommack is thinking about.
“Get the best people on the field when it matters most, situational football, but also create enough depth for us to be able to last and play our best ball when it matters most at the end of the season,” Wommack said.
Alabama opens its 2025 season Aug. 30 at Florida State.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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