TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- No more jokes.

During the fourth quarter of Alabama’s 59-31 win over Ole Miss this past weekend, senior safety Jared Mayden picked off the first pass of his four-year career and returned it 36 yards to midfield.

In doing that, he no longer has to hear from his teammates about not having an interception.

“It felt great to finally get that monkey off my back,” Mayden said Monday. “It’s something I’ve been wanting to do, so it felt great. I know (Trevon) Diggs and (Xavier McKinney) have been on me, and Shyheim (Carter), too. I feel like I was the oldest person that was here without a pick.

“Now I finally got it, so now all the jokes, they’ve calmed down.”

But Mayden, recording the only turnover of the game, didn’t rub it in once he was back on the sideline.

“I was too happy,” he said. “And I was tired.

“I haven’t had the ball in my hands and run with it in a while, so I really had no words for anybody.”

Mayden, a strong safety, has started all five of the Crimson Tide’s games this season. He is sixth on the team in tackles with 20, which included a career-best eight tackles against Southern Miss. The Sachse, Texas, native has also registered one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry.

“The season is going good,” Mayden said. “Just still trying to figure out everything that it takes to be a dominant starter on this team. I’m still learning, still getting better at it. It just makes it easy with everybody around me, everybody being positive. Just still trying to grow.

Alabama safety Jared Mayden

“I can’t be satisfied with where I’m at. Just keep getting better.”

Just like Mayden, Nick Saban likes what he has seen but still sees room for him to get better.

“Jared is a very athletic guy,” Saban said. “He was a corner before he became a safety, so he’s a good cover guy. He’s got good range in the deep part of the field. And when he’s played physical and played with good toughness, he’s been a good player for us.

“That’s what we continue to emphasize with him -- ‘Because you’re a safety now, you’re going to have more opportunities to present that.’ And he has done that, for the most part, and that’s something that we want him to continue to focus on.”

Mayden and the Crimson Tide are off this week before traveling to his home state to face Texas A&M on Saturday, Oct. 12. He’s looking to use the bye week to improve individually and as a group.

“Me, as an individual, I know I need to get better at, I want to say, my communicating skills,” Mayden said. “Trying to get the call echoed across the board. I’m not really too much of a talkative guy, so trying to break through that barrier in itself. Also, I still need to continue to work on my tackling, my tackling on the perimeter, coming down, playing safety, in the SEC at that.

“There’s a lot of big backs out there. I need to make sure I’m not just going up and hitting guys as hard as I can. I need to be able to hit and wrap up. Wrapping up is definitely something that’s on my focus.

“And then as a secondary, perimeter tackling, playing the ball in the deep part of the field, communication skills. That’s what I feel like all of us know we need to work on for the bye week.”

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