It's a fun time of year for Alabama football defensive coordinator Kane Wommack.
With Alabama bowl prep comes Wommack's opportunity to develop his players to create more positional value to, yes, prepare for the ReliaQuest Bowl against Michigan , but to get an idea of what the 2025 defense could look like.
And in the defensive backfield, Wommack has a hole to fill.
DeVonta Smith , who was Alabama's starting Husky in 2024, entered the transfer portal and committed to Notre Dame ahead of 2025.
Wommack knows the kind of player he wants at Husky. It's not tied to a single position. It's one that's evolved, one that has been inhabited by outside linebackers, safeties and cornerbacks.
"It's a unique skill set," Wommack said. "You have to be able to do a little bit of both."
For the ReliaQuest Bowl, Wommack seemingly has his answer. DaShawn Jones, who transferred from Wake Forest before the 2024 season, backed up Smith during the regular season, recording 20 sacks, two tackles-for-loss and 0.5 sacks.
Wommack also mentioned Red Morgan , who played both Husky and cornerback in 2024. But he also said he's considering freshmen and portal options to fill the role.
Ahead of spring workouts, fall camp and the 2025 regular season, it's the project Wommack is working on, one that is prevalent in each position on his defense.
"This is the first glimpse that you really get to start moving guys and working multiple positions to create depth," Wommack said. "And I think that's the name of the game now in college football is never again are we going to have maybe the same depth that you have always expected to have based on the transfer portal and the way things work nowadays. With that, you have to do a great job of identifying guys that can play the Husky position and the corner position, the rover position and the Husky position."
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football defense plans for Husky without DeVonta Smith
