24-04-2025
Who started California-to-Alabama football pipeline? What Zabien Brown said
Looking back, Zabien Brown feels his first Alabama football season was a good start to his collegiate career. But it's nothing to linger on thinking about.
As a true freshman, Brown had three interceptions, two pass deflections and two fumble recoveries, playing 660 snaps as a starting Alabama corner. But Brown is too busy looking forward, aiming to continue growing, to continue building.
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It's the mentality Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California helped cultivate, a mentality this Crimson Tide team knows well.
"Competition level," Brown said on how Mater Dei helped prepare him for Alabama. "Every position, each position got a lot of good guys, a lot of unique guys. Got a lot of different qualities in their game. Makes it real competitive."
That California-to-Alabama pipeline is one the Crimson Tide know well. Alabama has 12 California players on its spring roster: Brown, cornerback Domani Jackson, cornerback Dijon Lee Jr., quarterback Austin Mack, linebacker Fatutoa Henry, wide receiver MJ Chirgwin, punter Alex Asparuhov, linebacker Abduall Sanders Jr., linebacker Grant Johnson, offensive lineman Jackson Lloyd, kicker Reid Schuback and tight end Josh Cuevas. Another two are on the way this summer in tight end Kaleb Edwards and cornerback Chuck McDonald.
Brown, Jackson, Sanders and, eventually, McDonald all hail from Mater Dei. It's a program, Brown said, that made him want to come to Alabama in the first place.
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"I wanted to come here because of how it reminded me of Mater Dei," Brown said. "I just wanted to be the best. This is where you come to do that."
Brown can point to the one player he said started that California-to-Crimson Tide pipeline: Bryce Young, the Mater Dei graduate, who was the No. 2 player overall and the No. 1 prospect out of California in the 2020 recruiting class.
"Just seeing what he did, always looking up to him and seeing his posters in the hallway, in the building at Mater Dei," Brown said. "That was just who started it for me and who I looked up to."
Brown sees evidence of Young's impact each day. Brown said Lee is "a lot stronger (and) faster" and is "out there doing a great job. Brown said McDonald "got a lot ahead of him."
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Brown also doesn't expect that California-to-Alabama pipeline to end anytime soon.
"I think seeing guys come from the West Coast out here and have success, it's definitely eye-opening to other guys out West," Brown said.
Alabama will end its spring practice schedule at noon April 12 at Bryant-Denny Stadium with its annual A Day spring game.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@ or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Who started California-to-Alabama football pipeline? What Zabien Brown said
