Crimson Red Sports

TUSCALOOSA — Blame it on depth.

Trey DePriest and Vinnie Sunseri would likely have prime roles on most defenses. Sure, they’re freshmen, but the raw talent and pedigree made them high school All-Americans a year ago. On Alabama’s defense, that doesn’t make them unique.

So the roommates and best friends found a different niche — for now.

From the opening kickoff of the first game, the two established themselves as special teams head hunters with big-hitting potential. Sunseri, son of Tide linebackers coach Sal Sunseri, made the tackle just seconds into his first game. DePriest made the cringe-worthy hit later in the first quarter against Kent State and neither have let up since.

DePriest, in fact, still leads the team with 12 total tackles through two games mostly on special teams. Sunseri has six total tackles and one major block in Saturday’s Penn State win the freed Marquis Maze for a 44-yard punt return in the third quarter.

Having players like DePriest and Sunseri are a luxury, coach Nick Saban said, heading into the visit from North Texas.

“So it’s really, really good for our team when you have four or five guys who are really good special teams players who aren’t starters,” Saban said.

“And that’s what they look forward to and that’s what they prepare for. That’s what they do. And you feel like they can do it as well as anybody on the team and you’re certainly not making any compromises to play them to hold somebody else out from doing it.”

They might not be starring on the defense just yet, but that doesn’t mean they’re not impacting the starters.

“Oh, man. Them boys go down there and bust some heads. And that’s what we need,” cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick said. “We build off their energy. They start the game off kickoff return. They’re gonna start the game off. Whatever kind of momentum or energy they bring to the game we’re gonna feed off of it.”

I love how they have embraced this role.  They will be stars on the number 1 D in the future, but for now this lets them get on the field and make a name for themselves.  Our kick coverage is probably the best it has been under Saban now, and these guys are big contributors to that success.

I love how they have embraced this role.  They will be stars on the number 1 D in the future, but for now this lets them get on the field and make a name for themselves.  Our kick coverage is probably the best it has been under Saban now, and these guys are big contributors to that success.

Absolutely.  I remember some questioned Saban's scolly offer to Sunseri, as he did not match up, size-wise, with other middle linebackers, and was only rated at 3 stars.  They scoffed, claiming that Sunseri would be nothing more than a special teams player.

Well, Sunseri already is one of the best special teams players we have, and Saban moved him to safety where he is a better fit and has the potential to play.  Sunseri was a head hunter in the Under Armour Game, and he continues to show that ability on special teams.  He might just make Bama one heck of a safety before his college career is out.

Lets hope that the kudos for special teams play maintains traction.  Their efforts are often overlooked by the casual observer. But how many games, particularly in the SEC, are decided by field position established by special teams who deserve recognition.