Alabama football will lean on the versatility of Michigan State transfer, Geno VanDeMark for depth along the offensive line during the 2024 football season.
Kalen DeBoer met with media Thursday after practice and praised VanDeMark’s work ethic this offseason, expecting the 6-foot-5 redshirt junior to fill multiple roles along the Crimson Tide’s offensive line in his first year in Tuscaloosa.
“You know Geno, the reason he came in is exactly what we’re looking at,” DeBoer said. “He’s a guy that has gotten some snaps under his belt, and we really don’t feel like we’re losing much. And I mean, that’s not a knock on Jaeden (Roberts). Jaeden’s exceptional. He’s the standard. But to have Geno to come in, with 18 practices in, I think it’s even less than that, to just come in and play guard and play center. He’s done a great job. The thing I can say about Geno is that he loves the work. I think it was probably two or three days at a time that I saw him in the hallways this summer and I just asked him how things are going, and in his own words, I can’t say those words right now, but in his own words he expressed that he loved the work that these guys put in. He loved the mindset and that’s really cool to hear. He admitted that these are the hardest workouts that he’s ever been through but it says a lot about him wanting to be great and you can see that out there. He’s refining, he’s working on it everyday, he’s getting better at snapping the ball, he’s getting better at playing guard here this week for sure, so I’m just really appreciative that he’s here with us.”
VanDeMark has stepped in some portions of fall camp for Jaeden Roberts as he attended graduation and had surgery on his hand.
Roberts is expected to return for the season opener on August 31 against Western Kentucky at Bryant-Denny Stadium, as VanMark is expected to see meaningful snaps throughout the season.
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