Alabama's next standout freshman defensive back? Five-star Zabien Brown is coming on quickly in fall camp

Brown is in a very good position, despite the addition of a pair of upperclassmen transfers, to emerge as a starter for the Crimson Tide

By Chris Hummer Aug 6, 2024 at 10:22 am ET• 2 min read

The preseason 247Sports True Freshman All-American list doesn't come out for a few more weeks, but Alabama's Zabien Brown feels like a safe bet for inclusion at this point. Brown had a stellar debut spring in Tuscaloosa, ending the 15 practices by solidly establishing himself with the first team. The Tide have since made a few additions in the portal, but Brown still continues to impress. Early in camp, he's tracking for a starting job. 

Brown, who was spotted with a cast on his left hand during drills over the weekend, has drawn constant praise from Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer. 

"He just doesn't feel like a freshman out there," DeBoer said, per Bama247. "He does not. We felt that way this spring, and he just followed that up with another big jump, like you would expect.He's just out there, and I don't think of him as young or anything like that. He's just a guy that fits right into the defense."

Alabama is resetting its entire cornerback room this offseason. Brown is in a very good position, despite the addition of a pair of upperclassmen transfers, to emerge as a starter as Bama247's Cody Goodwin detailed in his latest breakdown of the Tide's cornerbacks room. 

Staying with Alabama true freshman cornerbacks, Jaylen Mbakwe, who ranked as the No. 12 overall player in the 2024 class, is also making big strides early this fall.