Henry To'oTo'o shares what fundamentals Alabama defense must improve

Alabama linebacker Henry To’oTo’o opted to return for his senior season after losing the national championship. As one of the leaders on defense, both on and off the field, he provides unique insight into what went wrong for last season’s unit and how next year can be better.

During his Friday press conference, Henry To’oTo’o explained what fundamental areas the Alabama defense struggled last season and provided details on how the new team is fixing that during spring practice.

“A lot of the fundamental things that we were obviously struggling with, causing fumbles, a lot of missed tackles that we had from last year,” said Henry To’oTo’o. “So coming into this spring, it’s been huge for us honestly. Being able to CPR club, punch, rip and just hone in on the fundamentals that we messed up on last year.”

With spring practice and preseason still to come, To’oTo’o and the defense have plenty of time to fix the issues identified. However they also must find his new inside linebacker partner after the departure of Christian Harris.

Henry To’oTo’o on Alabama return

Henry To’oTo’o revealed why he decided to return to Alabama for another season. Evidently, the star linebacker wasn’t satisfied with the way the Crimson Tide ended their season in January.

“Definitely losing the national championship game,” stated To’oTo’o. “That’s kind of my main goal. Being able to come back and finish things how I wanted. Just leave everybody happy. That’s the ultimate goal every single season. We chase perfection here. That’s kind of the main reason I wanted to come back.”

Moreover, Alabama is happy to welcome To’oTo’o back to Tuscaloosa. In his first season with the Crimson Tide after transferring from Tennessee, the star linebacker had a breakout season. To illustrate, To’oTo’o accumulated 111 total tackles, two pass deflections and one forced fumble on the season, while leading the Alabama defense.

Next season, Henry To’oTo’o and Alabama will be one of the favorites to win the national championship. In the linebacker’s mind, the job wasn’t finished. The Crimson Tide are on a mission in 2022.

Alabama will get the chance to show off what it has been working on to Nick Saban and the rest of the Crimson Tide faithful in its annual spring game set for April 16. After that, the Crimson Tide won’t be back in action until their season opener on Sept. 3 against Utah State.