Alabama Defensive Back DaShawn Jones (7) catches the ball at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL on Friday, Apr 4, 2025.

For a third straight year, Alabama didn’t dole out a depth chart entering game week for its season opener. While it would have been helpful to see how the Crimson Tide plans on lining up this fall, most of the lingering position battles have already been sorted out throughout camp. 

Ty Simpson will make his first career start at quarterback against Florida State. Kam Dewberry will take Tyler Booker’s old role at left guard, while Geno VanDeMark fills in for injured Jaeden Roberts on the other side of center Paker Brailsford. 

On special teams, Colorado Mines transfer Blake Doud appears to have held off true freshman Alex Asparuhov, while redshirt freshman kicker Connor Talty has shaken off his preseason struggles. 

That leaves the Husky position as Alabama’s main mystery heading into Saturday’s opener against Florida State. 

Redshirt senior DaShawn Jones is the projected starter in the slot, but that role might not be locked down completely just yet. 

Following Alabama’s second scrimmage, sophomore Zabien Brown was seen manning the Husky role, while senior Domani Jackson and true freshman Dijon Lee Jr. occupied the two first-team cornerback spots. Meanwhile, sophomore Dre Kirkpatrick showed plenty of promise at Husky this spring, and Utah transfer Cam Calhoun has been cross-training in the slot as well as on the perimeter. 

With Keon Sabb and Bray Hubbard locking down the two deep safety roles, the above six defensive backs will compete for the remaining three starting roles.

That leaves some tough decisions for defensive coordinator Kane Wommack, who will look to get as much talent onto the field while filling out his first-team secondary. 

“That’s the thing I ask myself all the time, because on one end, you wanna create as much depth as you can, and you also wanna get the right people on the field at the right time,” Wommack said last week. “And so whether it be situationally, getting the right personnel on the field, being mindful of how the offense operates, are they gonna go tempo, are they gonna allow you to sub and get the right people on the field? So maybe you gotta be able to do that in a more creative way on first and second down, but ultimately, I think the job is to get the best 11 people on the field, but not at the expense of losing depth across the board.”

With that in mind, here’s a look at Alabama’s options at the Husky role.

DaShawn Jones | 6-0, 190 | R-Sr.

2024 stats: 13 games; 23 tackles; 2 pass breakups; 1 forced fumble

After transferring to Alabama from Wake Forest, Jones played in all 13 games last year, starting the ReliaQuest Bowl at the Husky position. The versatile defensive back started his Alabama career on the perimeter before moving inside halfway through the season. Earlier this month, he revealed he feels more at home in his new spot on the field. 

“I love it, actually,” Jones said of the Husky role. “Before at Wake Forest, I really wasn’t playing it that much, but when I came here, I automatically gravitated towards the position. So me doing that transition, I definitely fell in love with the position.”

Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. | 5-11, 202 | So. 

2024 stats: 13 games; 3 tackles 

Kirkpatrick served primarily on special teams during his debut season last year, taking part in just 19 defensive snaps. According to Pro Football Focus, 12 of those defensive reps came at the Husky position. 

Following his limited role last fall, Kirkpatrick put together a strong camp. That included an interception on A-Day that was eventually wiped out by an offsides penalty. 

“Dre is a great example of a guy that took a really big step from Year 1 to Year 2 in the offseason,” Wommack said this spring. “Dre is another playmaker. He’s a football guy, understands the game, makes plays when it matters most. And I thought he flashed in a number of ways this spring.” 

Cam Calhoun | 6-0, 180 | R-So. 

2024 stats (Utah): 11 games; 21 tackles; 9 pass breakups; 1 interception (34 yards)

According to PFF, Calhoun spent 364 of his 395 defensive snaps on the perimeter this season. Along with leading Utah with nine pass deflections, he posted an 82.8 coverage grade from PFF, holding opposing quarterbacks to a 71.0 NFL passer rating on balls thrown his way. Calhoun isn’t likely to win the starting job, but his coverage skills should net him plenty of playing time  

“Cam’s done a really nice job,” Wommack said. “He’d been doing both things for us, both at the nickel position and the corner position. Did a nice job of working those things and handling those things. You go back and you look, ‘OK, what’s the best option to get the best two-deep across the board?’ How do we get the best players on the field? Cam’s certainly gonna be a part of that equation, probably in multiple areas.”

Zabien Brown | 6-0, 190 | So.

2024 stats: 14 games; 18 tackles; 2 pass breakups; 3 interceptions (4 yards), 1 fumble recovery (68 yards, TD)

Brown started all 13 games as a perimeter cornerback during his freshman season. He’ll likely remain in that role this year but could push inside if Lee plays his way onto the field during his debut season. The Husky position requires more field awareness than the perimeter cornerback spot, so it would make sense to move Brown there than have Lee learn a new role during his first year.

Along with his coverage skills and football IQ, Brown’s physical nature would allow him to bang bodies with tight ends. Still, this move would be highly dependent on Lee breaking into the starting lineup.