Kane Wommack isn’t buying the panic around Alabama’s defense.
After the Crimson Tide gave up 890 combined yards to Florida State and South Carolina, plenty of fans rushed to the conclusion that the unit had slipped, or even gone soft. Wommack’s answer on Monday was much steadier than that. He pointed to a defense that he believes is still moving in the right direction, even if the last two weeks have left plenty of room for criticism.
In Alabama’s first two games, opponents managed just 371 total yards, which helped fuel early talk that the Tide had found its defensive edge again. Then came the spike in production against Florida State and South Carolina, and the mood changed fast. For some Alabama fans, the swing was enough to label the defense as regressed.
That’s a tough conversation to have with Week 5 looming, especially with an SEC road trip coming against Mississippi State and quarterback Kamario Taylor. Wommack didn’t ignore the challenge Taylor presents. If anything, he leaned into it.
Taylor’s size is part of what makes him such a difficult problem. At 230 pounds, he brings more power as a runner than Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell, and Wommack made it clear that tackling him cleanly will matter.
Still, Wommack’s bigger message was about his own defense, not the outside noise.
"... we’re continuing to grow. Good defenses get better.
I think the physicality that we’re playing with right now is as high as it’s been since I’ve been here. I think the effort that we are playing with is as high as it's been."
"I think this is a very responsive defense. And if we'll just continue to make improvements, I think we’ll get to where we want to be."
Wommack also didn’t duck the problems that showed up over the last two games. But he stopped short of treating them like proof that the Tide have lost their way. And he made one thing especially clear about Taylor: "He may be the best we’ve faced in the last three years since I’ve been here."
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