‘Bro, it’s your defense’: Alabama lost a super star and in some way

• Alex Scarborough, ESPN

  • Personnel WriterOct 5, 2023, 09:00 AM ET Close Covers the SEC.Joined ESPN in 2012.
  • Graduate of Auburn University.AS JALEN MILROE

gets more comfy at quarterback, as the offending line gets its act together, as charges and turnovers continue to install and an offensive identity only now begins to come into focus, one thing has actually kept the Alabama dynasty on life support and within earshot of the playoff discussion: its defense.Through five games– admittedly a small sample size but not irrelevant, either– the Crimson Tide have given up 4.42 backyards per play against FBS challengers, which ranks ninth nationally. Turnovers and pressures are up from last season. Opposing quarterbacks’scores are down.It has been a while because an Alabama defense has looked this excellent, on rate to enable less than 300 yards per

game for the very first time given that 2017. Against Ole Miss 2 weeks ago, it held the Rebels to 10 points, their least in an SEC game under coach Lane Kiffin and well short of their previous average of 52.7 points per game. And lest that be labeled a fluke, Ole Miss hung 55 on LSU its next time out.Last weekend, Alabama kept Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers, the SEC’s No. 2 all-time leading passer, in check to the tune of 107 lawns, one touchdown

and three interceptions. And lest that be identified a fluke also, Rogers was coming off 487 yards passing against South Carolina.Does this all suggest the return of classic Nick Saban defenses? It’s most likely prematurely to tell. We’ll learn more Saturday when the Tide travel to Texas A&M(3:30 p.m. ET, CBS) for the first time considering that they gave up 41 points in a loss there 2 years ago. However while we wait, it may be time to ask an essential question: How, after losing probably the very best protective player in college football in Will Anderson, did the defense get better?Credit cornerbacks Malachi Moore and Terrion Arnold for stepping up. The exact same chooses linebackers Deontae Lawson and Chris Braswell. However the location to start is the guy who on paper was charged with changing Anderson.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated Dallas Turner spent the previous two seasons

quietly making a name for himself as one of the best young players in the country– a blend of speed, dexterity and strength that’s completely suited for the modern edge rush. Playing opposite Anderson at outdoors linebacker, the South Florida

native thrived in a function that was part sidekick, part understudy. His 12.5 sacks during that time were solid, ranking in the top 50 nationally, however they were overshadowed by Anderson and his FBS-best 27.5 sacks.When Anderson left for the NFL draft in January, he pulled Turner aside and informed him pointedly,”Brother, it’s your defense.”Anderson, prepared No. 3 overall, said he told Saban the same thing, worrying that the outside linebackers set the tone.” [Turner] can be among the best to come through Alabama, “Anderson told ESPN.” He would always state, ‘Brother, I wan na do what you do. ‘And I constantly told him, ‘Do much better than what I did.’And I honestly believe he can do that, 100 percent.”

That includes surpassing Anderson’s 17.5 sacks and 34 takes on for loss as a sophomore, he stated.”I really think that,” Anderson stated.”I understand the type of hard work he puts in. I understand his mentality. I know the grit and the love that he has for the game, that he can go out there and do all those things.” After posting 3.5 takes on for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble against Ole Miss, Turner used a T-shirt with a likeness of himself flexing in uniform. Soft-spoken, he let his clothing do the work.Written in all-caps above the animation image were the words, “NO LIMITATION.”It’s what Turner feels about Alabama this season–“There’s no limit to how excellent the defense can be,”he said– and how coaches feel about his potential as one of the most gifted edge rushers in college football. Dallas Turner” can be among the very best to come through Alabama,” stated Will Anderson, the No. 3 general pick of the 2023 NFL draft. AP Photo/Vasha Hunt TURNER’S FOOTBALL ASCENSION was initially composed in code on a PlayStation outside of Seoul, South Korea. It was 2001, and Delon Turner was nearing the end of his professional career for Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus

of the Korean Basketball League when he and a roomie passed the time throughout an off day by playing Madden.They completed in full seasons against one another with easy rules. They each permitted the other to produce one player and consider that player an endless rating, making that player the very best on the field.Delon’s roomie created a running back and named him after his boy, Jaylen. And since Delon could not deal with the 99-rated Jaylen with anyone on the roster, he made a 99-rated defensive end as a countermeasure.He didn’t have a son of

his own yet, so he picked a name at random: Dallas.Fast-forward two years and a return to the U.S., the name stuck. But the unique story of Dallas’birth didn’t end there.”As [my other half]

. was providing labor, “Delon recalled,”I was watching the Pro Bowl. “The stars lined up completely as Delon bied far not only his athletic capability however his work principles as an expert athlete. Dallas seemed to understand the

broad view at a young age, like when he gave up an appealing basketball profession, which had consisted of a coveted Team USA welcome, to concentrate on football. He went to American Heritage High School to get coached by

previous Miami Dolphin Pat Surtain. And sensing he needed a modification of landscapes before college, he moved to St. Thomas Aquinas, where he would get training from another former Dolphin, Jason Taylor, a first-ballot Hall of Famer and among the very best protective ends to ever play the game.”God blessed Dallas with a great deal of skill and length and height and size,” Taylor said.”So you combine that with the skills learned on the basketball court– your lateral motion, your foot speed, your hand-eye coordination, instantly going from offense to defense and having to backpedal and turn and open your hips and roll and run and all the things– and then you transplant that into a kid that has some dog in them and is highly, highly competitive and physical and hungry, it’s a nasty combination.”However the thing Taylor stated he appreciated most about Dallas was how open he was to training. Currently a prominent hire when he got to St. Thomas Aquinas, Taylor said Dallas”wished to be pushed.”A lot so that Delon hired pass-rush specialist Javon Gopie to deal with Dallas starting his sophomore season of high school. Gopie stated Dallas informed him right off the bat,”These are the important things I’m great at, however I wish to be more deliberate and become a smarter pass-rusher.”When Nick Saban came calling, Taylor didn’t sugarcoat what

an Alabama offer suggested. Taylor, who was coached by Saban for two years in the NFL and credits him with taking his career from good to fantastic, told Dallas, “You need to be willing to go there and work and grind and be coached hard.””That place isn’t for everyone,”Taylor said,” and he didn’t avoid it.”Dallas thought about Georgia, Florida, Michigan and Oklahoma. However he said,”My household trusted Nick Saban and the training staff there to help me get where I require to go.”Delon said there was one more factor that helped seal the deal.Delon recalled the family going to school for a game versus No. 3 Georgia when a beginner called Will Anderson stuck out, acquiring four deals with and a quarterback hurry. Anderson would go on to sign up 7 sacks in his last 6 games as a true freshman.Dallas informed Delon after the game,”If that man can do it, I can do it.”

And after that when it pertained to other colleges, “everyone else was a far-off 2nd

,”Delon said.TURNER WAS QUIET when he got to Alabama. Naturally reserved, he saw Anderson and veterans like Chris Allen work and kept his range at first.Anderson was having none of that, though, inviting him to

the group with some good-natured ribbing about his weight.

“Dallas,”Anderson scolded him,”you’re a little huge to play outside linebacker.”Truth be told, Turner remained in great shape. He just required time to find his place on the defense, beginning on the bench till Drew Sanders suffered a season-ending injury five games into the

2021 season.By that time, Anderson had actually already taken Turner under his wing, teaching him patience.”From the get-go, it was an easy relationship to build,”Anderson stated.” He can be found in with his

head on right, he wanted to listen to the older men in the room, and he just wanted to be excellent. And when you have people like that, who share the mindset that I

have, we simply gravitate towards each other.” Get your favorite live sports, stories and originals with ESPN +, Disney+and Hulu. Update to a Disney Bundle plan and start streaming something for everyone today! By a shared mindset, Anderson indicated,” Whatever it requires fantastic

.” Like Anderson, Turner began late as a freshman, signing up all 5.5 of his

sacks in his final 7 games.The 2 became close–“That’s my best friend, my little bro,”Anderson stated– costs many hours in the film room studying one another. “It was never a competition between me and Will, “Turner said.”Because I always understood Will was good. I

understood when I can be found in that people were going to be much better than me. So I simply attempted to take a look at it as just be a sponge, just absorb everything.” Anderson stated Turner taught him a couple of things, too, like what strategies to utilize versus particular offensive tackles.Whereas Anderson overwhelmed challengers with his strength and speed, Turner was a tactician. Their go-to moves even coincided with their nicknames: Anderson went by”Speed-to-power Will “while Turner went by”Stab Club Dal.” Offending lineman JC Latham said he continuously needs to be on the lookout for Turner’s lethal”ghost” relocation, where he releases a stutter action and curls under contact to get to the quarterback. “Dallas has a pass-rush collection that enables him to dive deep into various things,” Latham stated.” So although both [Turner and Anderson] are extremely gifted, very excellent, they have 2 various kinds of styles to play.

“Anderson got all the promotion. He even got the memorable nickname,”The Terminator,”from then-offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian.Turner flew below the radar.”It’s just Dallas in the meantime, “he said. Dallas Turner has 5.5 sacks this season, including this one recently against Mississippi State. Matt Bush/USA TODAY Sports CHANGE WILL ANDERSON?As in,

change an All-American and one of the very best defensive players to ever come through Alabama?No, Saban wasn’t buying that premise at all. “You don’t sort of look at it like someone’s replacing someone, “he said.” You take a look at it like, what do you need to continue to

help develop that guy to play well. “Gopie has seen the long arc of Turner’s advancement– the luxury prospect with his pick of schools, the standout freshman at Alabama and the viewed sophomore dip last season, going from 8.5 sacks in 2021 to 4 sacks in 2022. Gopie stated the numbers are a bit misleading because Turner was still affecting the quarterback as a sophomore. And the analytics back that up, showing a pressure rate of 12.2 %vs. 13.8%the year before. Turner’s third-down pressure rate in fact improved 4.9 percentage points.But Gopie acknowledged the pressure going into Turner’s junior season. With Anderson

no longer scampering the opposite edge, it was fair

to question how reliable Turner would be.”Last year when Will was forecasted a top-five choice, I believe Dallas knew at that moment, ‘OK, my time is coming and it’s time for me

to be able to lead the group,'” Gopie stated.” He’s no longer the young guy any longer. “Gopie said it has been encouraging to see Turner lean on his family and the pass-rush neighborhood he has actually belonged of during the offseason in South Florida, working with pros like Greg Russo, Shaq Lawson and Bradley Chubb. “I believe leaning on everybody that he has in his corner has truly empowered him to accept this position,”Gopie stated.”And he’s thrilled for it.”At SEC media days this summer, Turner acknowledged what was at stake in what could be his last season in college. ESPN rates him a consensus top-10 choice in next year’s NFL draft.A reporter advised him that no Alabama player throughout the Saban period has gone 3 years without winning a national championship. However before the press reporter might finish his sentence, Turner pointed to his ring finger, where a piece of fashion jewelry need to be.Remembering the losses the past two seasons and hearing all the criticism of the defense has actually resembled intensifying to their collective

fire, Turner said.When Anderson stated he”wept [his] eyes out”after Alabama suffered its 2nd loss of the 2022 season at LSU, Turner stated he was right there with him. “But I feel like [

Anderson] has actually taught me some things management a good idea to how to lead the group in the right direction,”he stated.” However I feel like now we have all the right pieces now that we need all the ideal guys in the locker room, all the leaders that we require, too, to get to where we require to go.”Turner guaranteed he ‘d take”complete ownership.”That responsibility revealed after a Week 2 loss to Texas. Turner took it personally, calling it”sickening” that they gave up 34 points in your home. The next day, the veterans on the team called a players-only conference to clear the air. Turner called it a”come-together minute “in which they “set the tone of what it’s going to be on Saturdays.”In the 3 games considering that, Turner has been a male on fire, with 17 takes on, 2 required fumbles and 5.5 sacks, which is second most amongst Power 5 players this season.Don’t look now, however Turner’s rate of sacks per game(1.1)and tackles for loss(1.5)are both greater than Anderson’s last season.So how good can he be?Taylor said there’s no limit.”As great as he desires,”he stated.”He’s an ultra-talented kid. Got a lot of bend, actually good twitch, long, effective. I imply, he’s got everything. The length, the hand usage, plays an excellent pad level. He’s as competitive as any kid I have actually been around. He’s really gifted. Now the rest depends on him.”