TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama has a shortage of defensive backs this spring.

Six players, including All-American and future first-round NFL Draft pick Minkah Fitzpatrick, are gone from last season’s secondary, while the Crimson Tide only welcomed one newcomer this offseason. But that newcomer, Saivion Smith, has made an instant impact.

“He’s done a nice job so far this spring,” head coach Nick Saban said of Smith on Tuesday. “He’s a bright guy, he understands football. He is picking the stuff up pretty well.”

Smith was the nation’s No. 2 junior college prospect and the top-ranked JUCO cornerback in 2018, according to the 247Sports Composite. Enrolling early, he joined his new teammates on the practice field in December prior to the team’s participation in the College Football Playoff, and even then, he caught the attention of those in the Alabama program.

“He’s definitely fit in well. He looks like us,” now-former cornerback Anthony Averett said. “He definitely looks (flexes his muscles) just like us out there. I can tell already he’s ready. He just needs to learn the system, obviously, but he looks like he’s going to be a good player.”

Smith was one of five cornerbacks to sign with Alabama during the 2018 recruiting cycle. This comes one cycle after the Tide didn’t sign any corners. But of the five, Smith has the most college experience, and not because of the postseason practices he already has under his belt during the Crimson Tide’s prep for Clemson and Georgia a few months ago.

Smith, a former 5-star recruit out of IMG Academy, started his collegiate career at LSU in 2016. There, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound cornerback appeared in nine games and finished his freshman campaign with four tackles and a pair of pass breakups for the Tigers.

Alabama CB Saivion Smith

And Saban was impressed by his newest defensive back before he spent two years in college.

“We recruited him in high school,” Saban said, “and we thought he was a really good player.”

After his first year at LSU, Smith chose to transfer to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, and now he’s enrolled at his third institution in as many years, this time in Tuscaloosa.

With Alabama losing all six of its defensive backs in its dime package this offseason, Smith’s experience could be a valuable asset to the Tide in 2018. He has already practiced with the first unit this spring, lining up at the left cornerback position, opposite Trevon Diggs.

But although he’s the most experienced of the newcomers, Smith still needs some polishing.

“Fundamentally, we’re working on some of his techniques that are a little different than maybe what he’s played in the past,” Saban said. “But I’m pleased with the progress that he’s made so far, but we certainly want to continue to work with him because there’s a lot of things that we can improve, that he can improve on and we can help him improve.

“And that’s going to be the focus for the rest of the spring.”

Still, like his new head coach and the departed players that practiced alongside him before the end of the 2017 season, his current teammates have been impressed by Smith so far this spring.

With nine more practices to go before April 21’s A-Day Game, he still has time to learn what it is Saban wants to see out of him on the field, as well as an entire offseason before UA faces Louisville in its 2018 season opener in Orlando, Fla. But for a player that just arrived on campus three months ago, Smith has made strides in his journey to a starting spot.

“He’s done a really good job so far in the spring,” safety Deionte Thompson said. “He’s getting better each and every day. He’s a pretty good guy, you know, doing very well. I think his skill set, he’s going to get better every day. He’s working with Coach Saban, so he’ll be fine.”

Contact Charlie Potter by 247Sports' personal messaging or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter).