He enters his second season as Alabama’s offensive line coach in the fall, and Eric Wolford has this group where he wants it.
The message in spring practice has been, “Be ruthless.” JC Latham announced the message in an interview with reporters, and Wolford has demanded that the message be carried out. Alabama’s offensive line has been at war against its defensive line in spring practice. According to sources, Touchdown Alabama Magazine has learned the ‘pads have been popping’ in both scrimmages before the A-Day game. Nick Saban is enjoying the leadership on the line, especially from the right side, but Wolford’s method is behind it. Tyler Booker, a second-year lineman, credits Wolford’s madness for preparing the Tide to dominate in the fall. The players have become more comfortable with Wolford whose message is locked in with them.
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“Coach Wolf is pretty out there, but I love Coach Wolf,” Booker said.
“Coach Wolf is what I call ‘the good kind of crazy.’ He knows how to motivate you but also when to back off. He knows how to coach well, but he treats everybody fairly. He knows how to reach certain guys so being in a room with Coach Wolf, he gets the most out of us every day. He takes the time with us outside, taking us to dinner and things like that. We are expanding upon the relationship that we have. When you have a great relationship with the offensive line coach, there are fewer things you have to worry about. Coach Wolf understands who we are as football players and who we are as people. He reaches us on another level.”
Booker said Wolford has the offensive line wanting to be dominant.
“We want to be the ones on 3rd and 3 where it’s like ‘Oh, that’s easy, we are just going to run,'” Booker said. “We are going to run the ball. We want that mentality of ‘Man, we got to play Alabama this week. How are we going to stop the run?’ That is the mentality we want to have and this spring, the way we are playing that the way Alabama was playing when I was growing up. This is what I see Alabama football as so to be able to bring that back means the most to me. That mentality is throughout the entire room. Everyone is trying to finish blocks, push the pile, and that is our mindset. That is the mindset throughout the room.”
Alabama fans will be overjoyed to hear this because they want to see more dominance upfront.
Wolford is doing his job in year two for the Tide.
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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.
