With the depth and experience of the offensive line taking a hit from the transfer portal this past offseason, Alabama was fortunate to see the return of Darrian Dalcourt.
Dalcourt, who has been the team’s primary starting center the past two seasons, will likely be competing for the job with Seth McLaughlin who has stepped up in big moments in his career at Alabama.
Although only one of them will man the middle of the line, Nick Saban has been working the two at different spots along the offensive line. When asked about experimenting with the two experienced players, Saban confirmed that Dalcourt has been working at both guard and center this spring.
“Darrian is playing center (and) playing guard,” Saban said on Thursday. “We move guys around all the time and we want to help them develop diversity to create value for themselves. But it also gives us flexibility in terms of getting the best players on the field when fall comes.”
The Crimson Tide saw three starters depart the team from a year ago leaving several inexperienced players with the task of stepping up. It may be wise for Saban and the Crimson Tide to get a pair of experienced seniors in Dalcourt and McLaughlin on the field to round out the retooled offensive line this fall.
But Saban has still been bullish on the size and physicality of the players he has to work with upfront no matter how many college games are under their belts.
“I like the players that we have on the offensive line,” Saban said at the start of spring football. “I think we have some bigger more physical players. I think they obviously don’t have as much experience. But I like the attitude. I like the temperament. I like their toughness. And I think the number one thing is we got to create some depth.”
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
