Kane Wommack is proud of the progress his Alabama defense made in 2024.

Still, there was one point in that first season in Tuscaloosa as the defensive coordinator he uses as motivation.

The date was October 5. Alabama fans remember it well. It was the day the Vanderbilt Commodores defeated the Crimson Tide 40-35.

“Vanderbilt was a terrible job on third down, and I didn’t do a good enough job of finding ways of getting us off the field,” Wommack told me Tuesday during an appearance on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5. “We took steps from that point of getting better each week to which I thought we played our best ball week in and week out.”

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Wommack said, as a reminder, he still has the Vanderbilt “game block.”

A game block is just that, a block with the opponents logo on it, which get stacked upon each other as the season progresses.

With the loss, that was one block that couldn’t be built on.

“I keep it right there as a reminder that every minute is an opportunity to better your team, and if you’re not doing that, you’re leaving yourself short,” Wommack said. “So, sometimes we need those reminders to bring out the best in all of us.”

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.