CFP CHAMPIONSHIP: Moses' return wrought with difficulites and pain in 2020

Alabama linebacker Dylan Moses has been candid about the difficulties he faced during the 2020 season and how he learned to cope with them. (Unv. Alabama Media Relations)

By TIM GAYLE

The 2020 college football season has been mentally challenging for those players who have played a full season. 

From daily COVID-19 testing to isolation from family and friends, it’s been anything but normal for players that are accustomed to a routine. A late start to the season, playing in a stadium at 20 percent capacity and conducting meetings and press conferences through Zoom only add to the bizarre atmosphere. 

Dylan Moses has rarely felt comfortable this season. Fans looked for improvement from last year’s defensive “struggles” that resulted in Alabama missing the College Football Playoff and felt the return of Moses from a season-ending knee injury would be the missing piece to restoring the Crimson Tide’s dominance on that side of the ball. 

Little did they know Moses was dealing with his own demons throughout the season, struggles that he would reveal in a brutally honest Instagram post that gave the world a glimpse into the life of a typical college athlete in a coronavirus society.

“From not knowing whether or not we’d have a season, fighting through pain every single game due to not being fully recovered from the knee injury I went through last year, to losing my grandmother to COVID-19, all of this has only made me stronger and I’m happy I was able to be there day in and day out with my teammates no matter what I was going through,” Moses wrote. “Truth be told they were the only motivation aside from my family that helped me keep going. It’s been times I wanted to quit and times I wanted to walk away from my dreams.

“And if you know me, you know it takes a lot for me to give up on something I truly want. God has tested my Faith on numerous occasions, but I kept moving forward. He showed me strengths in myself that I didn’t even know was there until this past year. Ultimately, I’m saying all this to say no matter what you’re going through, continue to push forward. It’s not over, you’re stronger than you think. Everything you’re going through is preparing you for what’s to come and to help build you into who you’re meant to be. Life is like a dark tunnel. You can’t always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving you will come to a better place. Don’t give up.”

On Thursday, in a Zoom conference promoting the Tide’s CFP National Championship with Ohio State, Moses explained the meaning of the Instagram post.

“For that post that I made, it wasn't for anybody to feel any sympathy towards me,” he said. “It was really for those people out there going through the same thing that I was going through and thinking about giving up and just showing that we're human. We go through the same things. So me putting that out there, that was for other kids or other athletes that are going through what I'm going through and showing that they can make it through.”

At Alabama, being the player who sets the defensive alignment can be a daunting task, especially when the defense isn’t playing up to its typical standards. Throw in the fact that Moses never truly recovered from the knee injury he suffered in August, 2019, and it’s easy to understand the mental burden placed on a player who’s already got a full slate of COVID protocols and virtual learning to cope with. 

“The first time I felt like 100 percent myself was the very first game of the season against Missouri,” Moses said. “After that, just all throughout the season, it was just constantly like pain. It was something I had to persevere through. I’ve never had to go through a whole season feeling like that. It was new for me. But at the same time it wasn't nothing I couldn't play through. At the end of the day, I just wanted to be there for my teammates, make a difference, and be able to make the calls for them.”

Defensive coordinator Pete Golding said Moses has been the consummate leader on the field, but admitted his star linebacker needed an ear more than once. 

“I think like any young player coming in and going through this year and having some things from his family standpoint, like a lot of us had this year, some deaths in the family, stuff like that, it was hard and I think he fought through it,” Golding said. “When he was in this building every day he locked in, had the ability to focus. It never became a distraction to where you were ever like on the field, ‘What's wrong with Dylan?’ It wasn't that by any means.

“Obviously, we’ve had several talks. He's a great kid, and I'm proud of the way he's fought through it this year, battling injuries and everything else.”

Fellow inside linebacker Christian Harris said Moses is fairly quiet about his personal life, but still a model for the younger players on the field. 

“I think Dylan has done a really great job throughout all his injuries and stuff that he's been dealing with,” said Harris, a sophomore. “Sometimes I think I probably just communicate a little more. He's still a great leader for us each and every day no matter what he's going through.”

Alabama coach Nick Saban compared Moses’ injury to one suffered by Dont’e Hightower, who struggled to return to normalcy over a longer period of time. But as with Hightower, Moses is a great leader on the field that lifts up the play of those around him. 

“He makes everybody around him play better,” Saban said. “I think the players have confidence in him and his understanding of the system and the scheme. So I think he does enhance the confidence of the rest of the group because of his leadership, his knowledge and his command of what we're doing on the field when he's in there.”

In a season filled with uncertainty, Moses was grateful for the recognition from his coach.

“Coach Saban having those feelings about me, it's a great feeling,” he said. “I've been knowing him since I was in the eighth grade and he recruited me out of middle school. For me and his relationship, it's like kind of like a great uncle or something like that. So for him to feel like that about me, it means a lot. Knowing that about myself, that I can affect the guys around me, makes me feel even better and more motivated to even go out there, just have my presence around them. For me to be like that for my teammates, it's a blessing.” 

Moses was a five-star recruit who played at University Lab in Baton Rouge before moving on to IMG Academy, where he was recognized with the Butkus Award as one of the nation’s top high school linebackers. The Crimson Tide’s media guide states Moses as a senior, but technically he is a redshirt junior who has a year of eligibility remaining in addition to the 2020 COVID waiver placed on rosters by the NCAA. 

Because of the expectations, no one ever thought Moses would stay for a fifth year in 2021 and it’s not something he wanted to discuss this week. 

“As of right now I'm just trying to focus on the championship game,” he said. “After the game is over with, whatever happens, happens.”

His story is a cautionary tale of what happens when incredibly high expectations are directed at a player burdened with setbacks that bring an array of mental challenges. A national championship on Monday against the Buckeyes would certainly give Moses the peace and happiness that has eluded him this season.   

“It's been a lot of ups and downs, but at the same time, that’s life,” Moses said. “Everything is not going to be picture perfect, but it's blessings within everything. Everything happens for a reason, and I'm grateful to be in this position with my teammates. This was something that I was looking forward to, knowing I would come back and all of that. Being here and being able to be part of this historic team, it means a lot to me.”