TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -Mark Barron is starting to feel at home in the secondary.

No. 2 Alabama's sophomore free safety is settling into his relatively new position quite nicely after playing offense until his senior year in high school and backing up All-American Rashad Johnson last season.

``I feel like I'm a long way from where I used to be,'' Barron said. ``I feel like I made a lot of improvement. I had ball skills but I wasn't really a DB. I was like an athlete trying to play DB.

``I feel like I'm becoming more of a DB.''

He's still catching passes though, just like in high school. Only now they're coming from the opposing team's quarterback.

Barron leads the Southeastern Conference and is tied for third nationally with six interceptions, including a pair of diving picks against Mississippi State last weekend.

The hard-hitting Barron also ranks second on the Crimson Tide (10-0) with 60 tackles going into Saturday's game against Chattanooga (6-4). Neither he nor his veteran teammates sound surprised by his rapid rise.

``He's an outstanding athlete,'' cornerback Javier Arenas said. ``He's the type of guy you've just got to put out there and let him play ball. It's obvious that was going to happen for him. The plays that he makes, he made them in practice. He's made them in camp. He made them when he first got here. He's just carrying on, that's all that is.''

Added linebacker Rolando McClain: ``He works really hard. It's no surprise to me that he's having so much success, because he works hard. We knew he was someone we needed to contribute in order for this defense to be good.''

The 6-foot-2, 214-pound Barron has been a pivotal part of a unit that ranks No. 2 nationally in scoring, run and pass efficiency defense.

He estimates he had only played ``no more than 20 snaps'' on defense his first three years at St. Paul's High School in Mobile. As a senior, he played linebacker and a little safety, while also rushing for more than 1,000 yards.

But Barron decided his future was as a safety. Tide coach Nick Saban, who regularly works with the secondary in practice, agreed.

``That's one of the things that made my decision to come here,'' Barron said. ``When I decided I wanted to play defense, I came here because of coach Saban and the job that he does with defense and the defensive backs.''

Barron played in every game for the Tide as a freshman, but 11 of his 18 tackles came on kickoff coverage.

He didn't have any interceptions. And this season's picks?

``It was a little luck and at the same time I feel like I put myself in position to make the plays,'' Barron said. ``I do try to read the quarterback's eyes, and a lot of quarterbacks at this level don't really look off (defensive backs). Some of them stare the receiver down, and I try to keep my eyes on them. Most of the time that will tell you where he's going with the ball.''

In fall camp, he won a battle with Robby Green to replace Johnson, who had 89 tackles and five interceptions last season. Barron already has more picks and pass breakups (15-11).

He said Johnson has called him a few times this season, ``just congratulating me on the job I was doing so far.'' But Barron doesn't want to settle for just matching the success of Johnson, now with the NFL's Arizona Cardinals.

``He accomplished some of the things that I wanted to accomplish, so (the calls) meant a lot,'' he said. ``I want to be the best safety that there is in the country. Hopefully I'll be able to do that.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.