TUSCALOOSA, Ala.– Contrary to popular opinion, University of Alabama football head coach Nick Saban found ways to get O.J. Howard involved offensively when the stages were at its biggest and brightest.
The 6-foot-6, 250-pound tight end finished his four-year career with 114 catches for 1,726 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. After being a three-time Southeastern Conference champion and a College Football Playoff national champion in 2015, the Prattville (Ala.) native and former five-star recruit is projected to be taken in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft.
Despite returning a strong blocker in Hale Hentges and a talented athlete in Irv Smith Jr., sophomore Miller Forristall is emerging as a player that has star potential. Hailing from Cartersville, Ga., Forristall was a three-star prospect in the Crimson Tide’s 2016 class. He turned in five catches for 73 yards through 15 games a year ago, including a clutch 22-yard grab versus Louisiana State University in helping the Tide earn a 10-0 win.
“Miller Forristall played a lot for us last year,” Nick Saban said on Monday.
“He’s gotten bigger and stronger, so he’ll probably be playing a little more H-back. He’s a little more O.J. like in terms of being a very good receiver. O.J. became a very good blocker, but in the early stages of his career it was something he needed to improve on. Miller is making progress.”
Forristall’s added some weight to his 6’5″ frame in the offseason, going from 225 to 238 pounds.
One of the positives from his blocking last season was aiding quarterback Jalen Hurts to a 30-yard touchdown run late in the national title game against Clemson. He got just enough of his guy, to allow Hurts to cut inside the block and score. Alabama will mix and match with Hentges, Smith, Forristall and true freshman Major Tennison, but Forristall’s playmaking abilities single him out to possibly have a breakout season this fall.
Stephen M. Smith is a managing editor and columnist for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @Smsmith_TDALMag.
