By Erik Harris, sports editor
TUSCALOOSA — Malachi Moore has been an instant-impact freshman in Tuscaloosa.
The 6-foot defensive back out of Hewitt-Trussville recorded his first interception for head coach Nick Saban on Saturday, as No. 2 Alabama stormed past No. 13 Texas A&M 52-24 in Bryant-Denny Stadium. Moore finished the day with six tackles, two pass breakups and a fourth-quarter INT — good enough to earn him SEC Freshman of the Week honors. He played 78 of Alabama’s 79 defensive snaps against the Aggies.
Moore, a four-star player and No. 3 overall player in the state, signed with the Crimson Tide’s Class of 2020. He was later named a defensive starter on Sept. 21, leading up to Alabama’s season opener at Missouri.
The true freshman has drawn rave reviews in his short time on the college scene, recording nine tackles to go with three passes defended and an interception in two starts for the 2-0 Crimson Tide.
After Moore picked off Texas A&M backup Haynes King on Saturday, longtime CBS announcer Gary Danielson said, “He finished a perfect game.”
Perfect might be a stretch, but the Trussville native certainly is off to a strong start in Tuscaloosa. He hopes to keep it rolling next Saturday, Oct. 10 when Alabama visits Ole Miss.