Jordan Battle Talks Having DeMarcco Hellams Back for Another Season
Communication, leadership, and ability from the safety position are essential part of a successful defense and Alabama has all three. The Crimson Tide bring back arguably the best safety tandem in the country in Jordan Battle and DeMarrco Hellams. Battle spoke about his counterpart during Friday’s presser.
“He’s hitman Hellams, he’s a big hitter,” said Battle. “He’s come back, he’s doing a great job, taking care of his body. Great mentality, he’s locked in, we’re both locked in, focused on what we need to do to get better this year. What we can do to change from last year that we did wrong. So just having him back and having him comfortable back there with me is great.”
The two four-star recruits in Alabama’s 2019 recruiting class elected to forgo the NFL draft and return for their senior seasons. Both guys have appeared in all 41 games during their Alabama career, Battle has 32 starts under his belt and Hellams became a full-time starter in 2021 after starting three games in 2020.
Last season, the pair each registered over 80 tackles and were tied for the team lead with three interceptions. According to Pro Football Focus, Battle and Hellams ranked second and third, respectively in lowest passer rating allowed in zone coverage last season among SEC safeties.
The Alabama secondary in 2022 figures to be one of the best ever under Nick Saban and the duo of Battle and Hellams is a big reason why. The two of them complimented each other very well in 2021 as the season progressed and carried it over into the offseason.
The success of Battle and Hellams will be a big part of the Alabama defense this season.