Alabama’s X-factor on defense may have come as a blessing in disguise after his breakout game against Tennessee
The injuries along Alabama’s defensive line have created a major opportunity.
Last season was the first time in years that the Alabama Crimson Tide didn’t have a dominant EDGE player on paper coming into the season. But then we saw the emergence of LT Overton, who has solidified himself as one of the better outside backers in the nation.
But this year’s breakout player is a name no one saw coming. Following injuries to both Qua Russaw and Jah-Marien Latham, the pass rusher position suddenly looked to have gone from an area of strength to a weakness for Alabama.
But after turning some heads against Missouri last week, Yhonzae Pierre had a coming-out party against the Tennessee Volunteers, and he may be an X-factor going forward.
Yhonzae Pierre records three sacks in Alabama’s win over the Vols
Prior to his breakout performance, Pierre had just one sack in his two-year career at Alabama. On Saturday night, he had three. That marked the first time an Alabama player had three sacks against a team since Christian Harris in the 2021 national championship game, per Mike Rodak of Bama 247.
He’s been right there. You know, I’m really pleased the last couple of weeks [with] what he’s done,” said Alabama HC Kalen DeBoer of Pierre after the Vols game on the team’s YouTube channel. “He’s he played a lot of snacks last week. I don’t know what his number was today, but with just the depth chart there and the guys that are out, we’re asking [him to] rise to the occasion.”
“He works hard at practice. He’s he’s built his stamina up more to where he can compete for four quarters now. And that’s really, just really cool to see. It’s really him understanding that on any play, ‘I can go win one-on-one’ and making sure he’s lined up and does his assignment from start to finish each and every play.”
The final chapter of Alabama’s 2025 season has yet to be written, but the story so far is all about redemption. It started weeks ago against Wisconsin, and the team has yet to look back. They took their Week 1 loss on the chin, and have played with an edge and hunger ever since. We’ll see if they can continue to keep that up as players like Pierre continue to develop.
Alabama Crimson Tide News
Alabama should come away with more than one win after capping off the best month of Kalen DeBoer’s tenure in win over Tennessee
Alabama now has the best resume in the country after beating Tennessee.
