The secondary for Alabama football will be loaded this year, but one name falls through the shuffle. Shyheim Carter deserves more respect.
This upcoming season will be fun to watch for Alabama football. One of the strengths of the team will certainly be the secondary, and Shyheim Carter will be a key corner for the Tide. However, he doesn’t get the respect he deserves.
Last season, the secondary appeared to be a weakness. The team had to replace Minkah Fitzpatrick, Ronnie Harrison, Tony Brown, and Anthony Averett. They also lost Trevon Diggs to injury early in the year. However, the young secondary grew after the injury, and most of those players are coming back for 2019.
When you look at the secondary, it is easy to focus on Patrick Surtain, Xavier McKinney and Diggs. However, Carter is the piece that makes it all work.
This season, he is expected to play at the star position. Although Alabama doesn’t technically run nickel as their base defense, they might as well. He will get plenty of reps on defense as a star, and he has the versatility to move to other positions in the secondary.
Last season, Carter had 10 passes defended, two interceptions, and 43 total tackles. He also scored touchdowns on both of his interceptions. He tied for second on the team in both passes defended and interceptions, and his numbers might increase this year.
For the cornerbacks, Alabama will basically have Diggs replace Savion Smith. With this upgrade, opposing teams are going to have a hard time finding passing lanes. With two lock-down corners, teams will probably try to take advantage of the slot. Because of this, Carter will get some forced passes come his way, and he will probably see an increase in interceptions.
Now that Alabama’s secondary is more experienced, they will be the strength of the Tide defense. It’s easy to say that Diggs will be the strength of the secondary, but look for Carter to emerge as a star and be the piece that makes Alabama elite.