Alabama linebacker Dylan Moses was poised to capitalize on a strong sophomore campaign in 2018, one that saw him lead the Crimson Tide with 86 tackles while adding 10 stops for a loss.

The high expectations came to a halt during camp last fall, as the Louisiana product sustained a tear of the ACL in his knee and ended up missing the entire 2019 season. Now, back at full health, Moses is set to once again take his place as one of the conference’s top defensive stars beginning with the No. 2 Tide’s season opener at Missouri on Saturday.

“I think the last two weeks, Dylan has looked like his old self,” said head coach Nick Saban during his weekly radio show on Thursday evening. I think one of the things that I never realized about injured players until I had my hip replaced last year is sometimes you keep waiting for it to hurt even when it doesn’t hurt any more. … I think sometimes that’s one of the biggest psychological hurdles that a player has to overcome when he’s coming back from an injury. In the last two weeks, I’ve seen Dylan turn it loose and go for it like he played in the past.

While Saban felt that Moses had performed well leading up to his injury, he remarked that the redshirt junior has hit another level during this year’s preseason camp.

“Up until that time, I thought he played good, but I could tell he was still a little bit tentative. Not at all now. Very focused, been a good leader for the team, has helped the guys, I think, with his experience and knowledge and ability to call things and make adjustments. I think he’s just as good as he ever was.”