Alabama Football: Best player to wear each jersey number in Saban era
By Dakota Cox
Alabama football jersey rankings 26-30
No. 26: Landon Collins
No. 26 is a respected number in the secondary, and Landon Collins was the best. Marlon Humphrey is definitely up there, but Alabama hasn’t had a safety that can step in the box and wreak havoc like Collins. He also has the skill in coverage to disrupt the deep ball. He’s one of the few safeties for Alabama that has been the communicator of the defense. Collins had the intelligence and leadership to do that, and he did it extremely well.
No. 27: Nick Perry
Very few people wear No. 27 in college. Derrick Henry did, but he wasn’t the star that he was in the No. 2 jersey. Perry went to Alabama for five years, and he was a rotational defensive back. He didn’t do many things great, but he was a solid tackler in the flat and got a couple of picks in his final season with the Tide.
No. 28: Javier Arenas
Javier Arenas is one of the best defensive backs in Alabama history. He might also be the best punt returner in Alabama history. He was one of the many players that returned for his senior season to help build the championship culture for the Tide. He got five interceptions in his final year, and he got seven career touchdowns as a punt returner. Arenas was truly a stellar player.
No. 29: Minkah Fitzpatrick
Minkah Fitzpatrick was great as both a corner and safety at Alabama. He was a leader for the defense much like how Collins was. When linebacker became a weak position after injuries, Fitzpatrick became a vocal leader on the defense. He has the footwork of a corner, the strength of a safety, and his leadership helps put it all together. He was truly one of the most versatile pieces that Alabama has had in their defensive backfield in a long time.
No. 30: Dont’a Hightower
Dont’a Hightower set the standard for what an Alabama linebacker should be. They should be strong, smart, and aggressive. Hightower’s strength helped him disrupt plays across the middle and wreak havoc in the backfield when he blitzed. Teams simply didn’t know how to stop him. He was the trailblazer for the linebacker position that has been followed by Mosley, Foster, and Dylan Moses.