Tag: defensive backs

Alabama hires former SEC DB as assistant defensive backs coach

The Alabama football coaching staff added a new member in a former SEC defensive back who joins the collegiate coaching ranks.

Former Mississippi State defensive back Kivon Coman will be joining Alabama’s coaching staff. He will serve as a graduate assistant and help coach the defensive backs.

Coman played for Mississippi State from 2013-2016. The Alabama native played in 49 games over the course of his college career. He recorded 188 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and three interceptions for the Bulldogs in four seasons.

Since graduating, Coman has served as an assistant coach for Florence High School and Hoover High School. Both of which are located in the state of Alabama.

Coman joins an Alabama coaching staff that has been assembled in the last three to four weeks. Having played in the SEC, Coman knows the expectations that come with playing at a school like Alabama.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the latest news regarding the Alabama football program.

15 Most Impactful Texans of 2023: No. 10 Steven Nelson

Steven Nelson turned in one of the best seasons of his career in 2023, helping the Texans make the playoffs and win a postseason game

The Houston Texans had an extremely successful 2023 campaign.

They cruised to a 10-7 record under new head coach DeMeco Ryans and captured several accolades along the way. They won the AFC South and won a playoff game for the first time since the 2019 season. Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud won PFWA’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, rookie edge rusher Will Anderson won PFWA’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, and even Ryans took home hardware with PFWA’s Coach of the Year.

With a revamped team effort that led to dramatic improvements compared to both the 2021 and 2022 Texans, it’s worth examining who created that impact this past season and what their future projects moving forward.

This series has taken a look at defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, running back Devin Singletary, rookie receiver Tank Dell, and veteran tackle George Fant, and upstart linebacker Blake Cashman.

Today, we take a closer look at cornerback Steven Nelson.

WATCH: Chiefs DBs McDuffie, Edwards, Cook combine for insane TD vs. Dolphins in Week 9

Chiefs DBs Trent McDuffie, Mike Edwards, and Bryan Cook combined for this insane touchdown against the Dolphins in Week 9.

The Kansas City Chiefs scored an insane defensive touchdown against the Miami Dolphins in Week 9 when defensive backs Trent McDuffie and Bryan Cook combined for a long run back following a Tyreek Hill fumble in Frankfurt, Germany.

The play occurred when Miami was trying to drive downfield to score its first points of the highly anticipated international matchup. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa flipped a short pass out to Hill on the outside, and when McDuffie forced a fumble after making a form tackle, Mike Edwards made a recovery and craziness ensued.

Edwards was nearly tackled before flipping the ball to Cook, who took the ball all the way to the Dolphins’ end zone on the other end of the field.

This improbable turn of events gave Kansas City a three-touchdown lead heading into halftime, and while Miami is set to receive the second-half kick, a Dolphins comeback seems unlikely given the Chiefs’ defensive excellence.

Kool-Aid McKinstry ranked as the top returning CB in College Football

Kool-Aid McKinstry viewed as the top CB in college football

In recent years, the University of Alabama has had unparalleled success in producing defensive backs that are prepared to be superstars in the NFL. In the past five or six seasons alone, Alabama has produced All-Pro caliber guys like Minkah Fitzpatrick, Marlon Humphrey, Trevon Diggs, Patrick Surtain and Xavier McKinney; but the next great DB coming down the Alabama pipeline is cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry.

McKinstry is an Alabama native from the Birmingham area who was a five-star recruit out of high school and named ‘Mr. Football’ his senior year. He appeared in 15 games as a true freshman and was named to the All-SEC Freshman team. As well as being a big-time football recruit, McKinstry was highly sought after by Nate Oats and many basketball programs around the country. However, with his football career skyrocketing, he never played any games on the hardwood.

In 2022, McKinstry was a first-team All-American from various sites such as Pro Football Focus, and the associated press had him as a third-team selection. Regardless, McKinstry was one of the most talented DBs in the country last season and On3 has him ranked as the No. 1 overall corner entering 2023. He is also listed as their ninth-best player regardless of position and receiving a lot of buzz ahead of the 2024 NFL draft. It will be a lot of fun watching him improve his stock this season as he will be locking down one side of the field.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to monitor Kool-Aid McKinstry as the 2023 season approaches.

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Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

PFF ranks the NFL’s top six defensive players under the age of 25

Diggs and Surtain listed as two of the best defenders under the age of 25 in the NFL

As the NFL has shifted to being primarily an offensive-oriented league, the importance of having young defensive superstars has never been more important. Getting stops is getting harder and harder by the year, so having guys who can make game-altering plays is paramount.

Outside of Aaron Donald, there aren’t many defensive players in the NFL that can almost single-handily shut down an offensive scheme, but there are some really special young talents in the NFL that are making their presence known.

Pro Football Focus ranked their top six defensive players under the age of 25 which included two former Alabama standouts in Patrick Surtain II and Trevon Diggs.

Surtain has cemented himself as arguably the best corner in the game, regardless of age, as the corner piece of the Broncos’ defense. While Trevon Diggs of the Cowboys has shown the best ball-hawking skills of any defensive back in the NFL as he led the league with 11 interceptions in 2021, the most in the NFL since 1981.

Alabama’s reputation for producing DBs is already the best in the college game, and with players like this coming out every other year, it is easy to see why.

The other four players who qualified for the list are Micah Parsons, Sauce Gardner, A.J. Terrell and Tariq Woolen. Outside of Parsons, the entire list is made up of DBs, which further shows the importance of slowing down NFL offenses and some of the elite receivers we have in the game today.

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Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Trevon Diggs uses facts to defend ‘Alabama is DBU’

Though many other programs try to claim it, there can only be one DBU.

Former Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs is known for interceptions and making headlines for his play on the field. Now, he’s in the news for supporting the Crimson Tide.

Diggs, who played at Alabama from 2016-2020, was selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He joined a handful of other standout Crimson Tide defensive backs in the NFL, and has welcomed in several others since then.

Though other programs like LSU or Georgia may try to claim the title of ‘DBU,’ Diggs argues that Alabama is the premier program in developing NFL-ready defensive backs.

Diggs responded to a Tweet by Pro Football Focus, which asked fans which cornerback listed was CB1 in the NFL. Three of the seven on the list are former members of the Crimson Tide.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football and former players now in the NFL.

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Alabama safety Jordan Battle officially declares for 2023 NFL draft

Alabama safety Jordan Battle is officially headed to the 2023 NFL draft.

Alabama safety Jordan Battle spent four seasons in Tuscaloosa and will now leave the program with his eyes set on the NFL, according to his recent Instagram post.

Battle has officially declared for the 2023 NFL draft.

Through four years, Battle managed to see meaningful playing time every season and certainly made the most of it.

In total, Battle finishes his college career with some impressive stats. He amassed 252 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, six interceptions, 10 passes defended, three touchdowns and one sack.

Currently, Battle is expected to be a first-round draft pick, which is well-deserved considering his high level of play.

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Pete Carroll consults Richard Sherman for input about young Seahawks secondary

Sherman knows a thing or two about elite secondary play, so his insight should prove valuable.

The Seattle Seahawks have a young secondary with numerous rookies in the fold who may be promising pieces for the near future and could be expected to make an impact early on in the 2022 season. Head coach Pete Carroll has been consulting with a very familiar face regarding the young defensive backs.

Former Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman attended the team’s mock game at Lumen Field on Saturday to observe them in action.

“I think Sherm is just curious. I think he’s just trying to keep up with it. It was really good to see him.” Carroll said.

The twelfth-year Seahawks head coach revealed that he plans to meet with Sherman again this week, presumably to discuss the current state of the secondary, their potential, and room for improvement.

“I’ll talk with him again this week,” Carroll said. “He got to watch our guys, and we have some stuff to talk about.”

Safeties Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs are in the prime of their respective careers, but rookie cornerbacks Coby Bryant and Tariq Woolen will be the ones to watch in the coming weeks.

Sherman knows a thing or two about elite secondary play, so his insight should prove valuable. Hopefully, it will help Carroll and the defensive coaching staff understand what they need to do to bring these particular young guns along.

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Ryan Watts deemed one of the ‘most impactful’ DB transfers of 2022

Ryan Watts is ready to make a strong impact in the Texas secondary.

Former Ohio State defensive back Ryan Watts is one of Texas’ many key additions from the transfer portal this offseason.

Watts brings much needed experience and athleticism to the Longhorns’ secondary. He snagged two interceptions in 19 games with Ohio State playing behind a few future NFL Draft picks. With the path to playing time more clear at Texas, Watts is ready to prove himself in 2022.

On3 Sports recently ranked the top 15 “most impactful” defensive back transfers heading into the 2022 season. Watts is listed at No. 15 after standing out in spring practice.

Texas nabbed two players from Ohio State in the transfer portal who are Dallas-area natives. QB Quinn Ewers is the one who has gotten all the attention; Ryan Watts, a big corner at 6 feet 3 and 210 pounds, is the other one. Watts had a strong spring and figures to be at one of the corner spots when Texas is in its nickel package. Watts played in 19 games in two seasons, with one start, at Ohio State.

Watts is expected to play a huge role on the Texas defense looking to a bounce back campaign this fall.

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Grading each position group after national signing day

Our virtual report card by position group after national signing day.

In the transfer portal era, college football rosters are never set, but with the passing of national signing day, Auburn’s roster should not be going through any more massive change soon. But then again with the uncertainty around the head coach, never say never.

Auburn whiffed on their remaining targets on sighing day and with Ja’varrius Johnson entering the portal, left the day with fewer players than it started with. The Tigers finished with the No. 18 recruiting class according to the 247Sports class ranking. Auburn added 23 players to the roster, 18 high school signees, and five transfers.

The group is led by four-star linebacker Robert Woodyard who is ranked as the No. 13 linebacker and No. 141 overall player in the country. The class also features three top 10 JUCO players, No. 1 player Jeffrey M’ba, No. 1 cornerback Keionte Scott, and No. 1 safety Marquise Gilbert.

Of the transfers, most notable is the addition of not one, but two quarterbacks. Auburn added former Texas A&M starter Zach Calzada and former Oregon Duck Robby Ashford.

With the additions and subtractions let’s grade every position group ahead of the 2022 season, this grade will focus more on the coming season than long-term projection.