Some small doubts surfaced in 2019 on his ability to be effective at his position, but Kyle Flood put those to bed and has become known as an elite recruiter and savvy offensive line coach for Alabama football.
Prior to hiring Flood, the Crimson Tide had Mario Cristobal (2013-16) and Jeff Stoutland (2011-12).
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Cristobal, a native of Miami, Fla., was an exceptional recruiter and a strong coach.
During his four seasons, he mentored an offensive unit that totaled an average of 37.3 points per game.
His work with the front line produced three 1,000-yard rushers in T.J. Yeldon, Derrick Henry and Damien Harris — including the Tide’s first 2,000-yard running back in Henry (2,219).
Henry’s efforts behind the line captured the program’s second Heisman Trophy winner.
Cristobal’s coaching style also churned out a trio of 3,000-yard quarterbacks (AJ McCarron, Blake Sims and Jacob Coker), while gaining two 1,000-yard receivers in Amari Cooper and Calvin Ridley. His group up front won the first-ever Joe Moore Award in 2015, and he assisted Alabama to three straight Southeastern Conference titles (2014-16). Cristobal was on the Tide’s 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship coaching roster, and he placed Ryan Kelly and Jonah Williams in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Stoutland, a native of Staten Island, N.Y., arrived in 2011 after Joe Pendry retired.
He was underrated, but quickly proved his worth.
In two seasons, he had an offensive line that navigated Alabama to 36.8 points per matchup.
Stoutland witnessed three 1,000-yard backs — Trent Richardson, Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon — and one 1,000-yard receiver in Amari Cooper.
The protection from his line allowed for AJ McCarron to have 30 touchdown passes in the 2012 season. With the exception of Anthony Steen, four of Alabama’s starters off its 2012 line were taken in the NFL Draft.
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The duo of Chance Warmack and D.J. Fluker were first-rounders in 2013, while Barrett Jones went in the fourth round. Cyrus Kouandjio was taken in the second round of the 2014 draft.
Stoutland brought out the versatility of Jones, as he started at left tackle for the 2011 BCS National Championship team and center for the 2012 BCS national title squad. Along with being a two-time national champion, Stoutland pushed the offensive line to an SEC title in 2012 too.
For a while, his lineup of Kouandjio, Warmack, Jones, Steen and Fluker was thought to be the greatest collection of five players in the Saban era. Regardless of what Cristobal and Stoutland did, Flood has surpassed both.
After coaching a group that set a tone for totaling 47.2 points per game in 2019, the five linemen the native New Yorker has now gives Stoutland’s unit in 2012 a run for its money.
Alabama has been dominant through an unprecedented COVID year — despite a 10-game, conference-only schedule. The Crimson Tide is undefeated heading into the SEC Championship Game, and the lineup of Alex Leatherwood, Deonte Brown, Landon Dickerson, Emil Ekiyor and Evan Neal is the reason.
This bunch under Flood has given the Tide a 3,000-yard passer (Mac Jones), a 1,000-yard rusher (Najee Harris) and a 1,000-yard receiver (DeVonta Smith) for the first time since Cristobal’s guys in 2015.
Alabama leads the nation for scoring offense (49.5 ppg) and is third for total offense (537.6 ypg). Its output for scoring offense is the most in the Saban era, and it has scored at least 40 points in nine straight games. Behind the offensive line, the Tide has had its best efficiency rating on third down (59.1 percent) and its highest efficiency rating in the red zone (90.7%) of the Saban era.
Flood’s unit has Jones, Harris and Smith all candidates for the Heisman Trophy.
He has this group positioned to bring the school its second Joe Moore Award.
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Flood placed Jedrick Wills as the No. 10 overall pick of this year’s NFL Draft, but he is set to potentially have a pair of first-rounders (Leatherwood, Dickerson) for next April.
These guys are pass-blocking and run-blocking at a high level.
In a year where it did not get much practice, Flood has gotten the best out of his position.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
