If it weren’t for football, a kid Malachi Moore’s age would probably have zero use for snail mail.

But as chronicled by Touchdown Alabama, this particular day has the blue-chip recruit cracking into yet another envelope. It’s a holographic, letter-sized card that, when held against the light at different angles, shows Moore in either his Hewitt-Trussville High School uniform or Alabama threads.

The 18-year-old’s actual transition to Tuscaloosa has been both as seamless and illuminating so far.

That’s because Moore is used to change: a unique blend of skill, heart and flexibility that has him starting at one of the Crimson Tide’s most important positions as a true freshman. And with 3 forced turnovers, 20 tackles, 2 SEC Freshman of the Week honors and a growing endearment among Bama fans already, he’s not exactly just another name on the depth chart.

“Malachi’s been doing a tremendous job out there,” Tide cornerback Patrick Surtain II said earlier this season. “He’s getting more comfortable as the weeks go by. The sky’s the limit for him. He’s gonna keep improving and getting better.”

Moore’s hometown of Trussville is located on the northeastern outskirts of Birmingham and is about 74 miles from Bryant-Denny Stadium. It’s here that former Middle Tennessee State basketball player Torrey Moore and his wife Penny raised Malachi in what he’s described to multiple outlets as a loving, supporting home.

His mom, a teacher at Paine Elementary in Trussville, introduced him to visually-impaired kindergartner Henrietta Murray. She caught the then-high school star’s eye when he visited to read to his mother’s class, and the two have since struck up a friendship that included bringing Henrietta and her mother to her first Alabama game last season.

According to Birmingham TV station WVTM 13, Henrietta was diagnosed with Bilateral Optic Atrophy at age 3. She’s legally blind.

Last Friday, Maria Murray tweeted an image of her daughter wearing a No. 13 Alabama jersey with Moore’s name emblazoned across the back.

At the rate Malachi’s going, his charming young friend might need some NFL garb here in a few years.

Moore didn’t start off on such a trajectory. According to his dad, Malachi tried football at the age of 4 and quit after his team’s first full-padded practice.

Baseball bored him. He was a dang good basketball player like his father, but after giving the gridiron another try in first grade, Moore eventually realized his future was there.

He began his high school career as a receiver, then switched to corner and later safety under Hewitt-Trussville coach Josh Floyd. Moore’s senior season, he had 83 total tackles, 5 tackles for loss and 4 interceptions — 2 of which he returned for touchdowns.

By then, he’d chosen Alabama over Arkansas, Auburn and Georgia. It’s now easy to see why he was ranked as a 4-star prospect and No. 5 player in Alabama by 247Sports. And it’s becoming easier to see why he’s drawing comparisons to another Day 1 Tide “Star,” Minkah Fitzpatrick.

It’s not every day Nick Saban trusts a true freshman to play the “Star” position — a slot/nickel cornerback-type spot that requires versatility in spades and just as much intelligence.

You can see some of Moore’s basketball acumen translating in the way he reads plays and his almost picture-perfect footwork. Moore tallied his first career interception against Texas A&M, turned in another monumental pick in Alabama’s victory over Georgia, returned his own forced fumble for a score against Tennessee and had a team-high 8 stops, 1 tackle for loss and a pair of pass breakups in the Tide’s 41-0 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday.

There are a few reasons Alabama’s defense has been suddenly stingy since about midway through the Georgia game, allowing just 17 points during the past 10 quarters.

Heading into the bye week, Moore is certainly one gigantic factor.

“Malachi’s one of those guys that really knows how to learn,” Saban said. “He uses all the opportunities when he makes a mistake to learn and understand, and I think he understands the big picture pretty well.”