NEW ORLEANS -- You can call him a safety, a "Star," a nickel or a defensive back, but the most appropriate title to give Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick comes in the form of three letters.

"M-V-P."

The junior has been the superstar of the Crimson Tide defense this year, racking of 52 tackles, six for loss, 1.5 sacks, grabbing one interception, breaking up seven passes, forcing a fumble and blocking a kick. This, while moving down a little bit closer to the line of scrimmage.

"He eats, sleeps and breathes it," defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt said. "He's probably as good of a competitor and as tough and as instinctive guy as i've been around."

It's that instinct that has allowed him to play cornerback, safety and nickel for the Crimson Tide during his three years.

"I wouldn't call him a hybrid player, I would call him a complete player," Pruitt said. "He can play corner, safety, star ... he could play wide receiver, he could be our punt returner and probably could play quarterback for us. He's that type of guy."

He has a grade of 85.0 in Pro Football Focus' run defense rating -- tied for ninth among cornerbacks and safeties -- and is one of only eight defensive backs in the country who boast an "elite" or "very good" rating by PFF standards as a run defender and an overall defensive back (his overall rating is 83.4).

Fitzpatrick's work near the line of scrimmage has the attention of a Clemson staff that thrives on exploiting players who are unsure of themselves and aren't aggressive at the point of attack.

"He's incredible to watch because he does so much," Tigers co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said. "I mean, he can go out there and play corner, lock you down. He can lock your slot down. He rushes the passer. If they need him to go back and play off the hash, he can do it all. You can tell he's like a quarterback out there. He gets those guys in the secondary where they need to be and plays with a motor. And you can see that everyone feeds off his confidence."

That has taken on more of a vital role during the lead up to the College Football Playoff national semifinal in the Sugar Bowl against top-ranked Clemson. With Pruitt double-dipping during the month of December after getting the head coaching job at Tennessee, Fitzpatrick's experience and familiarity with the Tide defensive scheme has been valuable to his teammates in the defensive backfield.

"Minkah's just another coach out on the field," defensive back Levi Wallace said. "He sees things and watches a lot of film. It's definitely a positive for me and the rest of the defensive backs -- just knowing what he sees and learning from what he sees. He's one of the best athletes out there. He makes everybody better and helps improve their game in practice. He comes with a lot of energy. It's always great to have a guy like that in our own backfield."

That flexibility traces all the way back to national signing day. He told reporters Friday morning that questions surrounding where he would sign on national signing day in 2015 stemmed from nothing more than a technical glitch. The fax machine at his house didn't work, and the delay in his paperwork arriving in Tuscaloosa wasn't because he was considering Florida State, it was because he adjusted on the fly and went to his high school to fax it from there.

Adjusting on the fly -- a staple of Fitzpatrick's career.

That'll be vital on Monday night in the Sugar Bowl, when he'll be asked to matchup with receivers Deon Cain and Hunter Renfrow, slow down running backs Travis Etienne and Tavien Feaster and stop dual-threat quarterback Kelly Bryant.

Alabama needs him to succeed in all of the above in order to prevent this game from resembling the previous two meetings between the two programs in the College Football Playoff and becoming a point-per-minute affair.