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With departures and question marks surrounding the safety position, Alabamaās depth in the back end of its secondary is not quite what it was a season ago -- or even an the conclusion of its 15 spring practices this April.
Eddie Jackson and Ronnie Harrison bring experience to the position group as projected starters for the fast-approaching 2016 season, but the depth behind them is anything but experienced. Shawn Burgess-Becker elected to transfer to UCF, andMaurice Smith has one foot out the door with some reports linking him to Miami. Plus, the statuses of both Tony Brown and Laurence Jones currently hang in the air because of their off-the-field actions.
One certainty in terms of depth, however, is Deionte Thompson. The redshirt freshman safety ping-ponged back and forth between safety and wide receiver last season, but with a loaded bunch of wide outs and uncertainty in the secondary, Thompsonās days of changing numbers are likely over as he could potentially fill an important role in 2016-17.
āI think now Iām gonna stay at DB, and Iām comfortable with that,ā Thompson told BamaOnLine last year in Arlington, Texas, ahead of the Cotton Bowl Classic. āJust ready to get my shot to make some plays.ā
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A four-star recruit out of Orange, Texas, Thompson was the No. 44 overall prospect and No. 2 safety in the 2015 recruiting cycle, according to the 247Sports Composite. He watched from the sideline as his team won its fourth national championship in seven years and now has a year of college exposure between his ears to aide him in taking the next step.
Time will not only help him in progressing and potentially being the Crimson Tideās third safety, but Thompson will also try to use the techniques he learned from practicing with the wide receivers to his advantage this fall.
āPlaying receiver, just knowing and learning what they want to do, itās gonna help me in the long run when I play DB,ā Thompson said. āEvery receiver does the same thing about his alignment and his technique and which route he wants to run based on his alignment. Alignment is a big thing that I need to study because if I study their alignment, nine times out of 10 Iāll know the route.ā
The young defensive back also had his eyes set on gaining good weight this offseason, on top of what he has already gained. That, and increasing his speed to be able to cover all of the field when given the opportunity.
āFirst and foremost, I want to get bigger,ā Thompson said. āI came in in the spring at 174, now Iām up to 193. I feel like I still got a lot of room to grow into my body, so once it gets there, I want to get faster, you know, so I can play more of like a rangy-type.ā
His head coach, however, still sees some holes that need to be plugged in order for Thompson to successfully float this fall.
āRonnie (Harrison) played a lot last year. Heās definitely ahead of the other two.ā Nick Saban said this spring when asked about the trio of Harrison, Thompson and Burgess-Becker. āI think the big thing that the other two, they fall into the category of the guys that I just talked about. They both have ability to do certain things and really can be positive players on the team, but the big thing is learning what to do, how to do it, why itās important to do it that way and be able to go out there and play with confidence and execute it. Thatās going to come from better focus, better preparation, better discipline, better carryover.
āSpend more time thinking about football when theyāre not playing it so they get a better understanding of what they need to do. Come in and meet with your coach on days when we donāt have practice so you can have a better understanding of it. If those guys are going to make that kind of progress, thatās the kind of habits that they need to develop and theyāre only going to develop those habits if they invest their time properly in doing those things.ā
The beginning of Thompsonās UA career was wild, flip-flopping between positions, and there are no signs of settling down for the Texas native. He is likely to contribute on special teams this fall and is in line to see the field on the defensive side of the ball with the recent pecking order shift at safety. But Thompson has shown poise among the whirlwind of changes.
āItās been kind of crazy, man,ā Thompson said. āI came in early and redshirted, but I turned that all into a positive thing. It gave me a year to get bigger, get stronger and get faster. Itās really paying off for me.ā
Eddie Jackson and Ronnie Harrison bring experience to the position group as projected starters for the fast-approaching 2016 season, but the depth behind them is anything but experienced. Shawn Burgess-Becker elected to transfer to UCF, andMaurice Smith has one foot out the door with some reports linking him to Miami. Plus, the statuses of both Tony Brown and Laurence Jones currently hang in the air because of their off-the-field actions.
One certainty in terms of depth, however, is Deionte Thompson. The redshirt freshman safety ping-ponged back and forth between safety and wide receiver last season, but with a loaded bunch of wide outs and uncertainty in the secondary, Thompsonās days of changing numbers are likely over as he could potentially fill an important role in 2016-17.
āI think now Iām gonna stay at DB, and Iām comfortable with that,ā Thompson told BamaOnLine last year in Arlington, Texas, ahead of the Cotton Bowl Classic. āJust ready to get my shot to make some plays.ā
(What's next for the Tide? Make sure you're in the loop by signing up for ourFREE Alabama newsletter!)
A four-star recruit out of Orange, Texas, Thompson was the No. 44 overall prospect and No. 2 safety in the 2015 recruiting cycle, according to the 247Sports Composite. He watched from the sideline as his team won its fourth national championship in seven years and now has a year of college exposure between his ears to aide him in taking the next step.
Time will not only help him in progressing and potentially being the Crimson Tideās third safety, but Thompson will also try to use the techniques he learned from practicing with the wide receivers to his advantage this fall.
āPlaying receiver, just knowing and learning what they want to do, itās gonna help me in the long run when I play DB,ā Thompson said. āEvery receiver does the same thing about his alignment and his technique and which route he wants to run based on his alignment. Alignment is a big thing that I need to study because if I study their alignment, nine times out of 10 Iāll know the route.ā
The young defensive back also had his eyes set on gaining good weight this offseason, on top of what he has already gained. That, and increasing his speed to be able to cover all of the field when given the opportunity.
āFirst and foremost, I want to get bigger,ā Thompson said. āI came in in the spring at 174, now Iām up to 193. I feel like I still got a lot of room to grow into my body, so once it gets there, I want to get faster, you know, so I can play more of like a rangy-type.ā
His head coach, however, still sees some holes that need to be plugged in order for Thompson to successfully float this fall.
āRonnie (Harrison) played a lot last year. Heās definitely ahead of the other two.ā Nick Saban said this spring when asked about the trio of Harrison, Thompson and Burgess-Becker. āI think the big thing that the other two, they fall into the category of the guys that I just talked about. They both have ability to do certain things and really can be positive players on the team, but the big thing is learning what to do, how to do it, why itās important to do it that way and be able to go out there and play with confidence and execute it. Thatās going to come from better focus, better preparation, better discipline, better carryover.
āSpend more time thinking about football when theyāre not playing it so they get a better understanding of what they need to do. Come in and meet with your coach on days when we donāt have practice so you can have a better understanding of it. If those guys are going to make that kind of progress, thatās the kind of habits that they need to develop and theyāre only going to develop those habits if they invest their time properly in doing those things.ā
The beginning of Thompsonās UA career was wild, flip-flopping between positions, and there are no signs of settling down for the Texas native. He is likely to contribute on special teams this fall and is in line to see the field on the defensive side of the ball with the recent pecking order shift at safety. But Thompson has shown poise among the whirlwind of changes.
āItās been kind of crazy, man,ā Thompson said. āI came in early and redshirted, but I turned that all into a positive thing. It gave me a year to get bigger, get stronger and get faster. Itās really paying off for me.ā
