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Alabama football's Jah-Marien Latham finds his fit in Kane Wommack's defense
- Story byThe Tuscaloosa News
- Alabama football's Jah-Marien Latham finds his fit in Kane Wommack's defense
Alabama football's Jah-Marien Latham was a backup on the Crimson Tide's defensive front last season.
But with the new "Swarm" defense brought in by new defensive coordinator Kane Wommack, Latham might see his role on Alabama 's defensive line change.
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Under Wommack's 4-2-5 system, compared to that of Saban's 3-4 system, players are given more freedom on the defensive line, Latham said. The redshirt senior also said he dropped about 10 pounds from last season to now, currently weighing in at 273 pounds, giving him more agility.
"I still do the same thing, I still play the same position, but it's like now I have more freedom," Latham said on Saturday when speaking to the media. "I have more freedom to showcase that I got speed off the edge, I got power off the edge, I can win inside, I can drop into coverage. It's just allowing me to show everything that I have in the bag."
Asked if he considers himself more of a defensive lineman or outside linebacker, Latham said he considers himself a combination of both.
"We do a little bit of both," Latham said. "I just say hybrid, like I do both. The past years, when Saban was here, I was kind of heavier so it was more defensive lineman. But now, I have slimmed up a bit so I can drop into coverage, come off the edge, everything."
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While it took him about a week to adjust to the new defensive terminology brought in with the new system, Latham had nothing but high praise of the new defensive system being put in place at Alabama.
"I really love this new system," Latham said. "It gives everybody on the defense a chance to really showcase their talent, especially on the defensive line. We have more freedom to rush now. It really gives us an ability to show what type of athlete we really are."
Another change for Latham this season, he will be wearing number 20 instead of number 93.
"It's crazy because I really wanted number 5 or number 3, but I don't think they like defensive lineman with single digits, so I ended up with 20, but I really like it."
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Anna Snyder covers high school sports and University of Alabama softball and football recruiting for The Tuscaloosa News. Reach her at asnyder@gannett.com . Follow her on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, @annaesnyder2
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football's Jah-Marien Latham finds his fit in new defense
