Freshman Safety Rydarrius “Red” Morgan Poised to Make Impact Under New Alabama Head Coach Kalen DeBoer

By Kelvin Sims

Alabama freshman safety Rydarrius “Red” Morgan, in normal times, would be a fairly unknown newbie trying to make an impact on his coaches and peers as football practice starts for the University of Alabama in August.

Of course, the Crimson Tide isn’t your normal football program, and with first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer replacing legendary coach Nick Saban this season, these aren’t normal times. Many are hoping, and expect, Central High School and Phenix City native Red Morgan to be a little bit more than normal as well.

Morgan had a dominant career with the Red Devils under coach Patrick Nix, helping lead them to the 7A state championship game as a sophomore. He was also rated as a 4-star safety by recruiting services in the 2024 class. 

He initially committed to Florida State a year ago but changed his mind in December and signed with Coach Saban and the Crimson Tide.

Morgan was an early enrollee in January when everything changed for the Alabama program. 

Saban exited after a legendary run of six national championships, followed by personnel losses that devastated the secondary where starting cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Koolaid McKinstry were high NFL draft picks and freshman sensation Caleb Downs exited via the transfer portal among other losses at that position group. 

DeBoer acknowledged the holes in the secondary after offseason losses and hoped Morgan and other young Tide secondary players were up to the challenge of competing in the SEC.

“There’s a lot of other guys that don’t have that experience or are younger that are taking advantage of the days that they have right now,” DeBoer said at SEC Media Days. “They need to have a great August. There’s gonna be moments we go through, but we have the right people – talent-related, personality, character-related, work ethic. I'm convinced we’ll get there and continue to go in the right direction.”

Morgan made a quick impact in spring practice, gaining the attention of Tide coaches by picking up the new defense and playing aggressively. He was listed as among the starters at safety for most of the spring and saw significant snaps with the first-team defense in the A-Day game in April.

The Crimson Tide may have a real gem on hand in Morgan. Practice starts in August and Morgan is expected to have a big impact from the start – already drawing comparisons to the way Downs performed in his freshman season.

“He’s picking up the defense really well and that’s impressive," Crimson Tide junior receiver Kobe Prentice said. “He reminds me of Caleb Downs. They have different playing styles. But for a young guy who has come in and dissected the defense and looks the part when he’s out there...Red reminds me of Downs.”