Alabama’s secondary may be on the verge of another shakeup, and this time the opening could belong to a true freshman.
The Crimson Tide head into Saturday’s matchup with Texas A&M already dealing with plenty of injury issues, and cornerback is one of the biggest trouble spots. Zabien Brown was forced out of last week’s game against Tennessee in the second quarter and never made it back onto the field. Brown has been one of the few bright spots in a secondary that has badly underperformed in 2026, but his status remains uncertain after he was listed as questionable Wednesday night on Alabama’s first availability report of the week.
Brown was joined on that report by three other Tide players: RB EJ Crowell, C Racin Delgatty, and DE Fatutoa Henry.
If Brown is unable to play, the pressure falls even more on a cornerback group that is already trying to find its footing. With Dijon Lee struggling, Carmelo O'Neal got his first start for Alabama last week at Tennessee.
The results, though, still left plenty to be desired. Lee saw significant action anyway, and he also left some plays out there.
That sets up a possible chance for either Jorden Edmonds or Zyan Gibson, two true freshmen and Top 75 recruits in the 2026 class, to get real work against Texas A&M.
If Brown sits, at least one of them is likely to see snaps that matter. Alabama likes to rotate its corners, so even if Lee and O'Neal open the game and hold up well, there will still be opportunities to sub in another body.
And based on last week’s depth chart, Gibson appears likelier to get the first shot. The 4-star from Gadsden was listed as Brown’s backup before the Tennessee game.
Edmonds, the 5-star prospect, has dealt with more of a delay in his development after missing a significant stretch of practice time because of an injury during fall camp. He has been off the injury report for the last couple of weeks, but he is still working his way back into the mix.
Gibson could offer something Alabama has been missing on the outside: speed. He is listed at 6 feet and ran track in high school, traits that should help him hold up in press-man coverage without getting beat deep.
Neither freshman played last week against Tennessee, but that could change if Alabama decides this is the right spot to throw them into the fire. Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed has had a tough season as a passer, which makes this a more manageable place to give young corners a look than it might have seemed before the season.
The larger issue remains the same: Alabama has to get better in the secondary. Through seven games, the unit hasn’t come close to matching the talent on the roster. And with the Crimson Tide entering the final five games of the regular season in a must-win stretch, Kalen DeBoer and his staff can’t treat any position as untouchable.
If a younger player gives Alabama a better chance to win Saturday - and beyond - then the change has to happen.
In Other News...
Alabama's New Rotation Already Has A Few Names Fans Need To Watch
Alabamas preseason tune-up against Auburn in Birmingham offered a first real look at how the Crimson Tides rotation may take shape heading into the year. Exhibition games are always a little tricky to read too much into, but the opening half still gave fans a useful glimpse of which players were getting extended run, where the ball was going, and how the lineup pieces were being deployed as the coaching staff sorted out roles.
The box score from that first half told a clear story about opportunity, with several Alabama players logging meaningful minutes and filling up different areas of the stat sheet. Points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks all helped sketch out the early rotation picture, even if the game itself was only a preseason checkpoint, and the bigger question now is which of those names keeps holding that space once the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Gets A Telling SP+ Outlook With Pressure Rising Fast
With the Texas A&M game looming, Alabama is treating this stretch like the beginning of its College Football Playoff push. The Crimson Tide sit No. 13 in the major polls, which leaves little margin for error, and the visit from an Aggies team that has been uneven for much of the season still carries enough weight to shape how the rest of the year is judged.
ESPN analyst Bill Connellys SP+ model still likes Alabama to get the job done, giving the Tide a 76% chance to win. But Texas A&M has climbed a bit in the metric lately, which adds some intrigue to a matchup Alabama cant afford to treat lightly if it wants to stay in the playoff conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Faces A Texas A&M Threat That Could Change Everything
Texas A&M is headed back into SEC play with one of the leagues toughest road assignments waiting at Bryant-Denny Stadium, where No. 13 Alabama will try to steady itself after a loss to Tennessee. For the Crimson Tide, it is the kind of midseason test that can quickly reshape the mood around a team and remind everyone how little margin there is in conference play.
The Aggies bring a few players worth watching as they try to make this a real threat, including freshman running back KJ Edwards, edge rusher Keelon Russell and kicker David Olano. If Texas A&M can get meaningful production from that group, Alabama may have more on its hands than a routine home game, with kickoff set for Saturday at 2:30 on ABC. [Read more 🡒]