It may seem strange now, but there was once an occasion in which Alabama junior defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick felt briefly overwhelmed. Briefly.
“My first game here was against Wisconsin, and that kind of set the standard for what to expect here for Alabama football games,” a smiling Fitzpatrick said this week in a news conference. “We were playing in the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium, and I remember running out there and seeing all those fans. I remember thinking, ‘This is crazy. I am playing for the University of Alabama.’
“Pretty much after that, every game has been the same thing over and over again.”
Fitzpatrick totaled five tackles, recorded a sack and broke up a pass in that 35-17 win over the Badgers, and he earned his first start the following week when Middle Tennessee State came to Tuscaloosa. He has experienced 28 wins, two Southeastern Conference championships and one national title through two seasons and will begin his junior year Saturday night when the No. 1 Crimson Tide and No. 3 Florida State play in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick (29) runs into the end zone for a touchdown against Florida after an interception during the first half of the Southeastern Conference championship NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016, in Atlanta.(AP Photo/John Bazemore)
The 6-foot-1, 202-pounder from Old Bridge, N.J., already is one of the most beloved players in Alabama’s Nick Saban era, according to the coach himself.
“Minkah does it as well as anybody I’ve ever coached, in terms of how he works every day, how he finishes plays, his conditioning level – just phenomenal,” Saban said a couple of weeks ago in a news conference. “He pays attention to detail. It’s important to him. He makes sure he knows what to do.”
This specific week, Fitzpatrick provides Saban some comfort in combating opening-game concerns, not to mention a Seminoles offense headed by dual-threat quarterback Deondre Francois and the unknown output of heralded freshman tailback Cam Akers.
“We don’t have an abundance of experienced players on defense, because we lost so many good players,” Saban said, “but the leadership that Minkah provides and the example and the diversity that he has and his playmaking ability are always welcome. We’re going to have to get that kind of leadership and example from the three or four other guys who have been starters for us in the past.
“Hopefully, they will be a positive influence for the guys who are starting for the first time.”
Fitzpatrick has practiced at every position in the secondary, which includes instances when the Crimson Tide use five or six defensive backs. His preference is cornerback, which he played in high school, but he knows that he could be moved in an instant.
Having been patient and unselfish since arriving as a Rivals.com and Scout.com five-star prospect, Fitzpatrick is very appreciative of having Saban work with his position group in practice. His respect is obvious, because when asked to detail something unique about Saban, Fitzpatrick responds, “I don’t know. I don’t want to get myself in trouble.”
Fitzpatrick, whose first name is of African descent and means “justice,” is coming off an All-America sophomore year in which he racked up 66 tackles and two interception returns for touchdowns, which gives him a program-record four for his career. He heads a veteran secondary that also contains Anthony Averett, Tony Brown and Ronnie Harrison, and though Saturday night provides a monstrous challenge, Fitzpatrick still views it as fun.
Just like the moment he encountered two years ago before his first college game.
“Every game is like a dream, and it will be the same way in Atlanta,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’ll be like a 12-year-old kid. It’s stuff you dream about.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.