In a unique year for Alabama football, a few true freshmen were impactful on defense.
The 2020 signing class brought Tim Smith, Jamil Burroughs, Malachi Moore, Brian Branch, and William Anderson to the Crimson Tide. As first-year players, all five individuals assisted the program to a Southeastern Conference title and a College Football Playoff National Championship. Success came for the freshmen, despite not having spring football and enduring the Coronavirus pandemic. Two of the five names, Moore and Anderson, earned Freshman All-SEC and Freshman All-American honors. When it comes to Anderson, he won the Shaun Alexander National Freshman Player of the Year award.