Alabama had an extra week to find a solution to the vacancy at safety created by Eddie Jackson's broken leg.

Now is it gets deeper into LSU preparation, Alabama's still tinkering with the multiple jobs the All-American held.

At safety, Minkah Fitzpatrick "has worked back there some," Saban said.

"He's very natural at it, "Saban said. "He played it in high school quite a bit so we haven't made any decisions for sure on how we'll go there. We'll just continue to work and see how it develops and see how can handle it best."

Fitzpatrick said he felt comfortable in the play-calling role since he's already done some of that from his Star position. Safety isn't that different from Star, he said, compared to cornerback.

"You have to pay attention to a lot more and more discipline with your eyes," Fitzpatrick said. "That's about it, really."

There are multiple personnel groupings used by the defense, so it's not a one-man job plugging that hole. Hootie Jones was spotted in practice working with the first team alongside Ronnie Harrison at safety.

This also figures to mean additional playing time for Tony Brown, who was suspended the first four games of the season. It just depends on which formation the Tide is using in a given situation.

Then there's the punt return role. Jackson scored two touchdowns on special teams, so replacing him as a returner is a massive job, too.

"Xavian Marks has been back there, returned one for a touchdown in a game," Saban said. "Trevon Diggs has been back there. So we'll continue to evaluate which one of those guys. I think the most important thing in a game like this is, who is going to do the best job, especially because they're a spread punting team with a left-footed punter, they do bulldog, rugby punt sometime."