Malachi Moore declares he will return to Alabama for the 2024 season.
Alabama football received some positive news on Tuesday night. Malachi Moore, a defensive back, will return to Tuscaloosa for his fifth season. The Trussville native revealed his decision on social media, with a hype video that ended with the words “I’m back”.
His return offers UA another returning element in the secondary, joining Caleb Downs, while the other three leave for the NFL Draft. ESPN published Moore’s decision, as well as those of Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold.
Moore ranked eighth on the team with 52 tackles. He also tallied five tackles for loss, four pass breakups and one interception. Of returning UA defenders, Moore is fourth in tackles. He is listed at 6-foot, 198 pounds and set career highs in playing time and stops in 2023. He bounced between safety and STAR, or nickel cornerback.
“To me, that’s like kind of the biggest honor you can receive here. Just being looked at by your teammates and your brothers as a person who leads by example and somebody they can look up to that does the right thing, yeah, it’s truly an honor to be voted a captain by my teammates,” Moore said in December.
The former Hewitt-Trussville standout has been praised for his physical ability to jump amongst the secondary and keep UA’s defensive backs in sync. Moore recorded three tackles in Alabama’s 27-20 overtime loss to Michigan in the Rose Bowl. Moore has 87 tackles in his 52 career games.
Since the end of the season, three defensive backs — Kristian Story, Earl Little Jr., and Jake Pope — have chosen to transfer, making Moore’s return even more valuable. Head coach Nick Saban will have to replace McKinstry, Arnold, and Jaylen Key as starters next fall.
