DeMarcco Hellams Shares Early Impression of Jake Pope

Alabama held its first scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday inside Bryant-Denny stadium. Freshman Jake Pope made an impact play, picking off a pass downfield that was intended for Emmanuel Henderson. Senior safety DeMarcco Hellams shared his early impressions of the young defensive back on Monday.

"Jake comes in with a great attitude," Hellams said. "He sits beside me in film, he always has his notebook and is taking notes. He's just eager to learn."

Pope was a four-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class. The Buford, Ga. native will have the luxury of learning from Hellams and Jordan Battle, two guys that have a plethora of experience under their belt.

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In four seasons at Alabama, Hellams has been around his fair share of elite talent. He played in the same secondary as All-Americans Xavier McKinney and Patrick Surtain II, two players that have become emerging stars at their positions in the NFL. 12 of Hellams teammates have been selected in the first round over the last three years.

It’s now his turn to pass down his knowledge of playing under Nick Saban and show the young players how to live up to the Alabama standard. The model that has allowed the Crimson Tide to dominate the sport for the last decade and a half.

"I know what it takes to be a national champion," Hellams said. "I know what it takes day in and day out at Alabama. And I just wanna make sure that before I leave here that I pass on the tradition down to the younger guys about what the Bama standard is."