Alabama Football: 5 takeaways from 2019 A-Day Game

2. Alabama’s secondary could be a major strength

What was a weakness due to inexperience and injuries last season might be a major strength in 2019.

A big part of the reason Alabama’s first team offense looked sluggish was due to a secondary that refused to allow much separation from the talented group of receivers it was up against. Tua was forced to thread the needle against tight coverage all-day, ultimately finishing 19-of-37 for 265 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Three dropped passes (two by Jeudy and one by Ruggs) certainly didn’t help matters, but a large part of his struggles can be attributed to Alabama’s cornerbacks playing tight coverage all afternoon. Now, to be fair, we’re talking about very vanilla offensive play-calling, but it was hard to not be impressed by the Tide’s corners going against as talented of a group of receivers as they’ll see all season long.

Sophomore Josh Jobe was particularly impressive, getting the start at one of the outside corner spots. Senior Trevon Diggs picked off Tua in the fourth quarter on what was a desperation heave, but both he and Jobe remained in the hip pocket of the receivers they were up against all day long.

Jobe made some major strides at the end of last season, and he was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise forgettable national championship game. Diggs getting back healthy is huge for Alabama as the senior was the Tide’s No. 1 corner last year before he broke his foot.

Sophomore Patrick Surtain got the start at nickel, with Shyheim Carter, who was in a black non-contact jersey, shifting over to safety alongside Xavier McKinney. Barring injuries, that’s likely to be Alabama’s top five defensive backs next season, with senior Jared Mayden coming on to the field when they shift to a dime defense.

This secondary has the potential to be one of the very best of the Saban era in Tuscaloosa, and they made a statement in front of the Bryant-Denny crowd on Saturday.