Kareem Jackson's Probable Departure Leaves Alabama Shorthanded in Secondary

Alabama junior cornerback Kareem Jackson will likely forgo his senior year for entry into the NFL draft.

Jackson's departure leaves Alabama with no returning experienced corners for 2010.

If recruiting rankings are accurate, there is talent on campus, but recruiting rankings mean exactly jack squat unless talent is focused into production.

To bring this issue into focus, Jackson's departure is going to put an inexperienced corner against the other team's best receiver. This situation will almost certainly result in very unpleasant defensive breakdowns next year. 

So what to do? Nick Saban's defense requires corners to cover one on one. The young corners will have to learn on the fly and hopefully improve as the season goes on. Saban is one of the best at teaching the position, but his work is cut out.

So who's it going to be at corner?

One good bet is sophomore Dre Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick played sparingly in the secondary in 2009 but is physically gifted. He arrived last year as the nation's top-rated corner coming out of high school. He's big for a corner—6'3"—but still has enough speed and covers skills to play the position.     

Phelon Jones transferred from LSU and sat out 2009. Jones was the starting nickel back for LSU as a freshman. He is one of the few players with any actual game experience.

Burton Scott was a five-star-rated athlete who signed in 2008. He played receiver as a true freshman but failed to crack into playing time. Scott who was also an excellent defensive back in high school who switched positions and redshirted 2009 to learn the position. Hopefully the work will pay off. Scott needs to make a move now to stay ahead of incoming talent.

Speaking of incoming talent, Alabama has two highly rated freshmen committed for the 2010 class. Both plan on enrolling now in order to go through spring practice. It's rare for a true freshman to start at corner in the SEC, even more rare for a Nick Saban team, but these two guys have a real shot.

DeMarcus Milliner is a 6'2", 180-lb. five-star player currently rated the No. 2 corner prospect in the nation by Rivals. Like Kirkpatrick, he is tall for a corner but has the ball skills to hang with the faster receivers.  

Right behind Milliner is John Fulton from Manning, SC. He is rated the fourth best corner in the country. I would hate to live on the difference between the two.   

Saban will often switch players around to cover weaknesses.  

One of the likely starters at safety, Robby Green, may switch to corner. Green was considered a co-starter in 2009 at safety and was on the field almost as much as the starters.  

Green reminds me of former All-American Rashad Johnson. He is smaller than average, very fast, smart, and hits bigger than his size would suggest.   

If Alabama feels they cannot go with the younger corners, look for Green to switch positions. If that is the case, someone else is going to have to step up at safety where Green is expected to start. 

One possibility is Robert Lester. Lester has not played except for mop-up duty, but he is a bit bigger than Green and has looked fairly good in his limited playing time. This spring will be a big opportunity.

Another is sophomore Rod Woodson. Woodson is a vicious hitter who made some noise on special teams in 2009. He may not be the best cover man, but he can certainly support the run and the pass rush. Woodson was almost legendary in high school with his well-timed safety blitzes. 

The only solid position in the secondary and the likely leader of the group is safety Mark Barron.

As a first-year starter Barron struggled early last year but really found his legs by week three. Barron became a bit of a ball hawk snagging seven interceptions, taking one back for six. 

Barron is a physical presence at 6'2", 214 lbs. Texas felt they could exploit Barron's size with their faster receivers, but they found out like everyone that Barron is a rare talent at safety.  

Alabama has two safeties committed at this point for the 2010 class: Jarrick Williams and Nick Perry. Both are highly rated, Williams as high as seventh in the nation according to Rivals. Neither is going to be on campus this spring, so starting might be a stretch, but both could certainly find their way onto the field, especially on special teams. 

Alabama has one more player committed for 2010, and that is corner Deion Belue. He's a project player, but his return skills could put him on the field immediately. He reminds Tide fans of Javier Arenas when he arrived. Perhaps he too can make himself into a player.

Finally I must mention Keenan Allen. Allen may be the best pure athlete Alabama has committed since Julio Jones. He's a threat to start at either wide receiver or defensive back. He will reportedly begin his career at wide, but if the situation exists for him to play immediately at defensive back, he might look at switching back to DB.  

How the secondary improves early in 2010 will be one of, if not the most critical issue to be faced if Alabama is to return to Atlanta to defend its SEC crown. Alabama will most certainly need to score more points next year to cover mistakes by a young secondary.