There’s a position group Alabama State football coach Eddie Robinson Jr. claims is deeper and more talented compared to last season.
Through the transfer portal during the offseason, the Hornets reloaded at the cornerback position — adding seasoned players with more height to the room.
It’s hard to be critical of Alabama State’s passing defense in the 2025 season. The Hornets finished second in the SWAC when it came to passing yards allowed, and middle of the pack when it came to passing touchdowns. But it was a position that saw a handful of combinations in the starting rotation.
Throughout the early part of Alabama State’s fall camp, there has been a heavy rotation again, but for good reason.
“So it’s a lot of options,” Robinson told the Montgomery Advertiser concerning the position battle in camp. “It’ll sort itself out, as they say, but I think the competition is what makes everybody play their best.”
Robinson mentioned veterans like redshirt senior Trent Henry who transferred from Troy, and junior Zach Williams who transferred from Arkansas Pine-Bluff as consistent leaders who bring range to the position.
It also helps Alabama State to have returning starter, Greg Mangle, fully recovered from a soft tissue injury that limited him last season.
Mangle said it helped that returning players have acclimated themselves to cornerback coach Saeed Lee’s system, and that the new transfers brought the experience and competition with them.
“I would definitely say we are a lot deeper in depth,” Mangle said. “We’re just trying to make some noise, so that we can really dominate on both sides of the ball.”
Most of the attention during the offseason has been on quarterback Andrew Body and the offense. But the cornerback room at Alabama State is pushing to be one of the SWAC’s best in the 2026 season.
Jaeden Day covers high school sports, Alabama State football and Auburn recruiting for the Montgomery Advertiser/USA Today. You can find him on X at dayjaeden12, or reach him at JDay@montgome.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Competition fueling Alabama State’s football’s revamped secondary in fall camp
