Trevon Diggs is emerging as a superstar in the Cowboys' defense, but he wasn't always a defensive talent.
Cowboys fans may have an unlikely source to thank for their new shutdown corner: none other than Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban. Before he made the switch to cornerback, Diggs was a wide receiver like his all-pro brother Stefon. When Saban informed him of the potential switch, he didn't take it too kindly.
“I was hurt at first,” Diggs said in Sunday's post-game press conference, saying he called his brother in tears. “He's not someone to be like, ‘Oh, it's okay,' he was like, ‘Nah, come on. It's time to go to work.'”
And go to work he did. In his senior year at Alabama, Diggs recorded 37 tackles, three interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and two defensive touchdowns. He only scored one touchdown as a wide receiver at Alabama. Now, he's glad his coach made the switch.
“I thank Saban for that,” Diggs said. “I really believed that I could be a good corner, so I worked. Work, work, work, work, work.”
Saban wasn't the one to make the switch official, though. He just gave Diggs the necessary push.
“It was his final decision to do it,” Saban said in a Wednesday teleconference. “I said, ‘Look, I think you've got a better future if you play defensive back.'”
Hindsight is 20/20, and after notching a league-leading six interceptions in five games, it's clear the Crimson Tide coach was right. Some fans think Diggs has the potential to be the biggest star on the Cowboys' defense since Deion Sanders, as his six picks are already more than Prime Time ever had in one season with Dallas.
Only time will tell if Diggs is truly a legend in the making, but he credits his wide receiver background for his ability to make plays on the ball.
“It's actually kind of easier,” Diggs said. “Being a former wide receiver, I know all the routes, all the steps. It's not foreign to me, so I know exactly what's going to happen.”
