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It appears as if what was long believed to be true has come to fruition: Alabama defensive back Tony Brown won't be available for an extended stretch of the first half of the 2016 season. The silver lining for the Crimson Tide is that Brown's absence apparently won't be for as long as previously feared.
According to a report from AL.com on Thursday, Brown's NCAA-mandated suspension, which was set for six 2016 games, has been reduced to four upon UA's appeal. The junior was held out of College Football Playoff games against Michigan State and Clemson at the end of last season, so ultimately he will still be sidelined for a total of six consecutive contests.
What will Brown's absence for the first month of the upcoming season mean for Alabama?
Defensively, Brown is a primary candidate to man the star position in the Crimson Tide's nickel package. Given that Alabama was aware of Brown's suspension back in the spring, though, there was time to work others at the spot, including senior defensive back Maurice Smith, who lined up with the first-team defense at the position in the A-Day game.
It's there, however, where things became problematic for UA over the summer.
Smith announced in June that he was giving consideration to spending his final season of eligibility elsewhere as a graduate transfer. If he follows through with that plan (he's yet to make public his intentions for the upcoming season), the two players with the most experience at star behind last year's starter -- Minkah Fitzpatrick -- won't be available for the month of September.
With Alabama opening up the season with three opponents -- USC, Western Kentucky and Ole Miss -- who averaged 269 passing yards per game or more in 2015, identifying a fifth and sixth defensive back was already at the top of the Crimson Tide's fall camp to-do list.
Fortunately for the Crimson Tide, it has some talented options beyond Brown and Smith. It could be that junior Anthony Averett or redshirt freshman Kendall Sheffield takes over at corner in nickel and dime situations, allowing Fitzpatrick to continue in his role at the star position in those looks.
There is also a talented quartet of freshman defensive backs to consider. Of that group, Shyheim Carter has been lauded by senior safety Eddie Jackson for being a standout in summer workouts. Carter will be joined by fellow newcomers Aaron Robinson, Jared Mayden and Nigel Knott in competing for playing time when fall camp gets underway late next week.
It remains to be seen, though, if any of those players can offer the kind of versatility that Smith and Brown have in recent years. Both have worked at safety and corner in addition to star and money. It's the kind of flexibility afforded to defenses who have third- and fourth-year players like Brown and Smith in the pipeline.
Even if one of the aforementioned players steps forward as the fifth defensive back, there will still be a need for a sixth in the dime. That role could be handled by a safety, with Deionte Thompson and Laurence Jones ranking as top possibilities behind starters Jackson and Ronnie Harrison.
The current situation at money is similar to what exists at star in that last year's starter -- Harrison -- returns but there's still a need for a third safety in the dime.
In terms of his biggest impact to date at Alabama, special teams is where Brown has been most impressive. Of his 16 total tackles last season, eight came while covering kickoffs and punts.
With the understanding that Brown will be out for four games and that Smith may be on the move, there will be at least one more question for the secondary and special teams to address in fall camp than there was in the spring. Every bit of August may be needed to come up with those answers.
Alabama football Tony Brown Maurice Smith Shyheim Carter Kendall Sheffield Anthony Averett
According to a report from AL.com on Thursday, Brown's NCAA-mandated suspension, which was set for six 2016 games, has been reduced to four upon UA's appeal. The junior was held out of College Football Playoff games against Michigan State and Clemson at the end of last season, so ultimately he will still be sidelined for a total of six consecutive contests.
What will Brown's absence for the first month of the upcoming season mean for Alabama?
Defensively, Brown is a primary candidate to man the star position in the Crimson Tide's nickel package. Given that Alabama was aware of Brown's suspension back in the spring, though, there was time to work others at the spot, including senior defensive back Maurice Smith, who lined up with the first-team defense at the position in the A-Day game.
It's there, however, where things became problematic for UA over the summer.
Smith announced in June that he was giving consideration to spending his final season of eligibility elsewhere as a graduate transfer. If he follows through with that plan (he's yet to make public his intentions for the upcoming season), the two players with the most experience at star behind last year's starter -- Minkah Fitzpatrick -- won't be available for the month of September.
With Alabama opening up the season with three opponents -- USC, Western Kentucky and Ole Miss -- who averaged 269 passing yards per game or more in 2015, identifying a fifth and sixth defensive back was already at the top of the Crimson Tide's fall camp to-do list.
Fortunately for the Crimson Tide, it has some talented options beyond Brown and Smith. It could be that junior Anthony Averett or redshirt freshman Kendall Sheffield takes over at corner in nickel and dime situations, allowing Fitzpatrick to continue in his role at the star position in those looks.
There is also a talented quartet of freshman defensive backs to consider. Of that group, Shyheim Carter has been lauded by senior safety Eddie Jackson for being a standout in summer workouts. Carter will be joined by fellow newcomers Aaron Robinson, Jared Mayden and Nigel Knott in competing for playing time when fall camp gets underway late next week.
It remains to be seen, though, if any of those players can offer the kind of versatility that Smith and Brown have in recent years. Both have worked at safety and corner in addition to star and money. It's the kind of flexibility afforded to defenses who have third- and fourth-year players like Brown and Smith in the pipeline.
Even if one of the aforementioned players steps forward as the fifth defensive back, there will still be a need for a sixth in the dime. That role could be handled by a safety, with Deionte Thompson and Laurence Jones ranking as top possibilities behind starters Jackson and Ronnie Harrison.
The current situation at money is similar to what exists at star in that last year's starter -- Harrison -- returns but there's still a need for a third safety in the dime.
In terms of his biggest impact to date at Alabama, special teams is where Brown has been most impressive. Of his 16 total tackles last season, eight came while covering kickoffs and punts.
With the understanding that Brown will be out for four games and that Smith may be on the move, there will be at least one more question for the secondary and special teams to address in fall camp than there was in the spring. Every bit of August may be needed to come up with those answers.
Alabama football Tony Brown Maurice Smith Shyheim Carter Kendall Sheffield Anthony Averett
