Barron more vocal for Crimson Tide

TUSCALOOSA — Alabama safety Mark Barron went from project to seasoned veteran in a hurry.

Of course, eight interceptions and 70 tackles tend to adjust the learning curve. Circumstances demand it, too.

Barron, a rising junior, is the only returning starter in the secondary. He has inherited a leadership role that will be crucial in the development of the newcomers.

Alabama wound down its first full week of spring drills on Saturday as over 1,000 high school coaches attending the Tide’s coaching clinic looked on. Barron knows what his teammates are feeling.

“It’s a complicated system that we have,” Barron said after practice on Wednesday. “They’re trying to learn.”

He spent much of his freshman year bogged down in assignments as he tried to learn safety, star and money responsibilities on the defense.

Head coach Nick Saban admitted it was an overload. Last year, he played strong safety and money and flourished. Barron was a first-team All-SEC and a third-team All-American defensive back. He led the SEC in interceptions and was second on the team in tackles.

This spring, Barron has forced himself to be a more vocal presence.

“I just tell them when we’re in meetings you’ve got to take notes and try to translate it to the field — because that’s one of the hardest things to do,” Barron said.

“I would rather lead by example but I can’t do that right now because we’ve got to communicate. I have to step out of myself a little bit and talk to everybody else.”

Saban said Barron has “kind of taken the bull by the horns, a little bit.”

Barron said he does most of the talking, but said if he makes a mistake he’ll hear from safety Robert Lester and cornerbacks B.J. Scott and Dre Kirkpatrick — who all have improved.

Saban sounded more encouraged this week, considering the number of secondary slots that must be filled.

“They make progress every day,” Saban said. “The biggest thing that probably helped this group was last year having 14 days of bowl practice. We really had a lot of time to work with those guys and spend time with them. I think that was very beneficial and it’s helped their carryover into the spring.”

On Saturday, Saban noted the veteran offense has looked sharp and the defense “has a long way to go.”

“I’m pleased with the effort,” the coach said. “I just think the mental focus and intensity and the mental toughness that we have to sustain as practice goes on is the biggest thing we have to continue to be able to do. Which means you’ve got to be able to play with consistency.”

Barron said the biggest difference for him is that he knows what to expect as a returning starter.

“Coming into last year, I was confident I could play, but I didn’t really know what to expect. That’s the only difference,” he said.

Of course, his role will expand on the field, too. He has taken more reps at the star position. He said he’s picked that up fairly well, since he spent some time there his freshman year.

“I’ve played at safety, star and money. I know all three of them,” Barron said.

The safety from Mobile said he uses talk that the secondary is now the weak link on the defense as motivation.

In fact, asked if he thinks the Alabama defense could be more talented this season than last year, Barron said, “Yeah, it is, in my opinion.
“But at the same time, if they don’t learn, we won’t be a better defense. The main thing right now is we’ve got to learn it.”

Barron is as eager as anyone to see players like Scott and Kirkpatrick and Lester perform in next Friday's scrimmage.
“I want to see how some of the young guys do in live action,” he said.

Saban said others will continue to get time in the secondary. Even receivers Kendall Kelly and Brandon Gibson continue to work in reps on the defensive side.

“The goal here guys is not to move anybody to defense,” Saban said. “But it’s to make sure we come out of the spring knowing that we have another guy on our team that could play safety if he needed to play it.”

Saban dangled an even bigger name who could be asked to try it.

“There may be some time in the spring we put Julio (Jones) over there and teach him how to play it,” Saban said, noting he’s done this in the past.
“(LSU’s) Michael Clayton was our best receiver and the 16th guy picked in the draft. That’s what we did with him one year,” Saban said. “He ended up playing 25 plays of defense — mostly against Texas in the Cotton Bowl — and played both ways.”

NOTEBOOK:
Star missing: Saban said reserve quarterback Star Jackson was not at the last two practices because of academic problems.

“When a guy doesn’t do what he’s supposed to do in school, there’s a point where I won’t let him participate until he gets it straightened out,” Saban said. “If he gets it straightened out in the next few days or a week, we’ll let him back out to practice. But right now he’s allowed to come to meetings, but when we go practice he’s got to go do school work.

“When he gets caught up, does what he’s supposed to do, we’ll let him come back out to practice.”

Saban said Jackson has worked hard in the offseason and done “a nice job” this spring.

“But one thing that’s going to affect the quality of his life more than anything else is when he graduates from school,” Saban said.

“Guys that aren’t sort of doing things the way that they need to do them to have success or develop the habits that they need to have to have success, we’re not going to compromise that for them to play football.”

Kicking game: The coach said Alabama spent its first periods kicking field goals of the spring on Saturday.

Four players are identified as placekickers on the spring roster — freshman Cade Foster from Southlake, Texas, sophomore Jeremy Shelley from Raleigh, N.C., senior Colin Gallagher from Atlanta, and sophomore Kolby Taylor from Bessemer.

“We had a couple guys that can kick,” Saban said. “We’ve just got to work on consistency in those areas, as well as in the punting game and continue to try to develop the special teams.”

First-team All-American placekicker Leigh Tiffin graduated last season.

Next week: Saban said Alabama will practice in pads on Monday and be in shells Wednesday.
The Crimson Tide will scrimmage for the first time Friday. Players will have Easter weekend off.