New Alabama secondary coach Mel Tucker spent the past seven seasons as a defensive coordinator in the National Football League.
That has the attention of Crimson Tide defensive backs and many others in Tuscaloosa.
"He's definitely brought a new style of defense for us as a whole, and not just the secondary," junior cornerback Maurice Smith recently told reporters. "He's bringing an NFL-style type of defense in practice, and it's given us a fire to really be successful as a team. He shows us film from the NFL, and it looks good."
Tucker was hired in late January by Alabama head coach Nick Saban, marking the third time the two have been together. Saban employed Tucker as a graduate assistant at Michigan State during the 1997 and '98 seasons and hired him again as LSU's secondary coach in 2000.
After one season in Baton Rouge, Tucker left for a four-year stint at Ohio State that included a national championship in 2002. He then departed for the NFL's Cleveland Browns, working his way to defensive coordinator in 2008.
The Browns finished second in the league in interceptions that year with 23, but Tucker was off again, spending the next four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville had the NFL's sixth-best defense in 2011.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban signs autographs during an NCAA college football fan day, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2015, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)Tucker's run as an NFL coordinator ended after the past two seasons with the Chicago Bears, but he apparently required little time in making the adjustment back to younger players.
"Mel does a great job with the kids and has a great demeanor," Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart said in a news conference. "The kids really respect him, and they know he has a lot of NFL experience, so he comes in here very confident and has worked with Coach Saban before. He knows all of our terminology and understands it, and he's able to relate to the kids and talk to them about it.
"He does a really good job as a teacher with the kids, and he's helped me tremendously from the perspective of new ways to create turnovers. When you get someone with that much experience in terms of the people he's coached under and with, it's very beneficial. When you turn on the clip of an NFL drill, eyes pop open a little more."
Tucker, a 1995 graduate of Wisconsin, is having to replace Alabama's top three safeties from a year ago: Landon Collins, Nick Perry and Jarrick Williams. Collins was the first selection in the second round of the 2015 draft.
Alabama is not lacking, however, for potential stars on its last line of defense, with senior cornerback Cyrus Jones having made 19 starts the past two seasons and with Eddie Jackson, Tony Brown, Bradley Sylve, Geno Smith, Maurice Smith and Jabriel Washington bringing back at least a little starting experience as well.
Redshirt freshman Marlon Humphrey and freshmen Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ronnie Harrison have made splashes this month, giving Tucker the potential of sharply upgrading a position group that battled injuries and inconsistencies the past two seasons.
"We know the D-line and the linebackers are going to take care of their parts of the field," Maurice Smith said. "They will make it easier on us, because we won't have to cover as long. It is really fun playing on this defense right now."
Tide tidbits
After taking Sunday and Monday off, Alabama practiced two hours Tuesday in shoulder pads and shorts. Right tackle Dominick Jackson went through practice after suffering a strained shoulder in Saturday's scrimmage. Saban is scheduled to address the media again following Thursday's workout.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.