Malachi Moore: Three things to know about Alabama football's freshman defensive back

Freshman defensive back Malachi Moore put Alabama up 35-10 over Tennessee in recovering a fumble and returning it for a touchdown early in the third quarter.

Here are three things to know about Alabama’s freshman starter at its star position in the secondary.

He didn’t have to wait long for his first interception

Moore got his first career interception on the final possession of his second game, his first in Bryant-Denny Stadium, against Texas A&M. Moore controlled the wide receiver on his route to the back corner of the end zone, and an underthrown ball from backup quarterback Haynes King was easily intercepted by Moore.

He was named the SEC Freshman of the Week that week, thanks to adding two pass breakups and six tackles.

He’s rare in making an immediate impact

Moore was ranked as the ninth-best prospect in the state of Alabama in the 247 Sports Composite. Of the other nine in the top 10, six of them also came to Alabama: linebackers Demouy Kennedy, Quandarrius Robinson and Jackson Bratton, running back Roydell Williams, defensive back Kristian Story and defensive lineman Jah-Marien Latham. Moore is the only one of the seven to make an impact.

The others in the top 10 who chose schools other than UA — wide receiver E.J. Williams (Clemson), wide receiver J.J. Evans (Auburn) and tight end Eric Shaw (South Carolina) — have yet to register much statistical impact at their schools.

That being the case, Moore is the only top 10 prospect from Alabama to make an impact early in his freshman season.

He’s the first UA freshman with multiple picks since 2015

That season, UA’s freshman-heavy secondary produced three with multiple interceptions: MInkah Fitzpatrick, Marlon Humhrey and Ronnie Harrison. Since then, UA has not had a single freshman with multiple interceptions in a season until Moore, who had an interception against Texas A&M and another against Georgia.