Everything Kane Wommack said after Alabama's sixth spring practice

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack spoke to local reporters after Saturday’s sixth football practice of the spring. Below is everything Wommack said.

Wommack on Alabama’s freshman cornerbacks…

“I think I mentioned the other day, experience is finite. And those are things that you have to go through reps. You’ve got to see live reps. You’ve got to see live work in order to understand how to adjust moving forward. The good thing is, Domani Jackson has played. He’s gotten reps on top of that. Jahlil Hurley has been here, he’s been in this system, all those things. 

“These freshmen are going against an offense that has a lot of volume. We have a lot of things in right now, and so they’re able to see a lot of different pictures, formation shifts, all those things. So rapidly you can see these guys getting better by the day. On top of that, they’re a very talented group, so I’m excited about our freshman DBs right now.” 

Wommack on Red Morgan, Zabien Brown being from big high schools…

“I would think that it would help. You know what I mean? Obviously, there’s a different level in the SEC in terms of the environments you have to play in. But these young men come to Alabama with very high expectations. They’ve had high expectations their whole lives. They come here to compete against the best. So I don’t think — whether you’re 18 years old or you’re 36 years old —  hopefully, we all have enough wisdom to know what we’re choosing to come compete in and competing against the best in the country. And you better be ready for that.” 

Wommack on if he recruited any UA players while at South Alabama…

“All of them. Every single one of them we would have taken at South.

“I think you had guys that — we recruited Mobile really heavy. Deontae Lawson was already here right as I was coming in at South Alabama. Would have certainly loved to have him. There’s too many to count in that regard. But that’s the special thing. I think Coach Saban did a tremendous job of recruiting this state. I think Coach DeBoer has made it a priority. I think we’ve seen those things already in terms of getting some of the best young men from this state. And that’s why we’ve had great success on top of plenty of other things that you can point to. 

“I think when you have young men that are from this state, that grew up here, that understand the rivalries that we play in, that understand what Alabama football means to the state of Alabama, those things matter. And you want somebody that represents one of those 11 bodies on the field week in and week out.”

Wommack on DeVonta Smith… 

“I think Smitty has a really, really good skill set. Obviously, from a standpoint of he has been injured. He’s kind of going through some of that rehab process. He’s done a really great job of that. Jeff Allen and his staff have done a tremendous job of getting him back. 

“I’m excited about Smitty. I think he can cover. He’s a big frame, 200-plus pounds. Shown some physicality as we’ve started to put the pads on. And I think he can process and make checks and adjustments. 

“That Husky position is so critical to what we do because we ask a lot out of that player. To cover man-to-man, to blitz off the edge, to play zone coverage, to sometimes pit down in the box, we’re asking quite a bit. And so it needs a very versatile skill set, and I think Smitty has that.”

Wommack on Keanu Koht…

“I’ve been really pleased with Keanu Koht. Athletically he’s a freak. He does some things, the way he can bend off the edge, his explosive ability. He plays with an extremely high motor right now and he is grasping what we are doing from a schematic standpoint. You see, everybody’s making mistakes, but you see guys correct things from one day to the next and if he can continue to do that, I really like his trajectory right now.”

Wommack on Alabama’s defensive line depth…

“I think Freddie Roach has done a phenomenal job with this group. I really do. We’re a very talented (group). From younger guys to older guys, I think there’s a lot of depth. I think there’s a lot of guys that play with a very high motor and play with physicality. We’re getting better and better at some of the techniques and things that we’re doing schematically that might be just a little different up front and I think our guys have really taken some big steps forward. I think the future’s bright with our defensive line unit.”

Wommack on being hands-on with older players as the new guy…

“I think every person, players, coaches included, we can all get better, right? You’re always going to challenge them to become the best version of themselves and the best version of ourselves should always be the next rep and striving to do those things. I’m hands-on with those backers, right? I like to show those things and physically kind of get in there with them. I always tell them, they’re not gonna do it as athletic as I make it look, but they can certainly try.

“But I think Deontae (Lawson), what is neat about him, especially one-one-one, is you can show him something and he can take a mental picture of it. You can verbalize it to him and then he can carry that on the field and execute. He is a really tremendous player terms of being able to analyze in real time and then he makes everybody else around him better for that. That dude has a very, very bright future.”

Wommack on Alabama’s safeties…

“Very pleased with their ability to process and analyze. I think if you look up the middle of our defense, there’s a lot of experience and those are the guys that have to communicate everything on the way out. So from the interior line to the linebackers to those two safeties. You see our ones, there’s not a whole lot of busts right now. Those guys are able to communicate and get things executed.

“But from an athleticism standpoint, I think they can cover man-to-man. They’ve got great spacial awareness in their zone coverage and they can close on the ball. Again, we talk about that vision coverage, you see those guys getting closer and closer to making plays on the ball, and that’s the evolution of what this defense has able to brought.

“They look good right now, they’ll look a little better at the end of spring, they’ll look a little better in the summertime and fall camp. By the time we get to Aug. 31, you got a lot of guys that are breaking on the ball at a high level.”

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