In college football, two-way athletes rarely play full-time.
Travis Hunter is the most recent and well-known example. Before being chosen by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the second overall pick in the NFL Draft, the former Colorado standout played both defensive back and wide receiver. His achievements earned him the Heisman Trophy.
Even if not full-time, would Alabama ever think about having someone play both sides of the ball? On the first day of training camp, Kalen DeBoer, the coach of the Crimson Tide, was asked the question.
We will definitely consider adding a defensive end or defensive lineman to a personnel grouping if you have someone who can be the extra tight end and truly fit into a goal line package, DeBoer stated. Or if a certain man have a talent that we lack. Generally speaking, though, both sides of the ball have everything they require.
According to DeBoer, Alabama already has athletes on both sides of the ball who are capable of doing something exceptional if they so want.
According to DeBoer, there isn’t somebody who is so much better traveling both ways in that circumstance that we feel we must do that right now.
Jaylen Mbakwe is currently the closest Alabama has to a two-way player on the team. He is a receiver this season after playing cornerback as a freshman the previous one. However, Mbakwe is not anticipated to continue playing defense in 2025. Ever since the ReliaQuest Bowl, he has been working with the receivers.
Wednesday marked the start of Alabama’s first of 20 preseason workouts leading up to the 2025 campaign. On August 30, the Crimson Tide will play their first game of the season against Florida State.
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Nick Kelly writes about Alabama news for the Alabama Media Group and AL.com.Keep up with him on Instagram and Xand.
