He mentioned on Wednesday that he is not for the “Poor Me” movement when it comes practicing under tough conditions; however, Nick Saban is a huge proponent of seeing players prove they deserve a starting job on either side of the football for the University of Alabama.
As a returning senior, Jared Mayden is one of five guys in competition to start at free safety – opposite Xavier McKinney. Mayden, a former four-star from Texas, arrived on campus in the 2016 recruiting class and has 23 career tackles. The 6-foot, 200-pound defender totaled 18 tackles last season and posted two pass breakups, one tackle for loss and one sack.