Alabama OC tells why Wilkin Formby’s move to guard is not due to his performance at tackle

Photo By Cedric Mason - Touchdown Alabama

For the Oklahoma game, the right side of Alabama’s offensive line is shaping up to be Wilkin Formby at right guard and freshman Michael Carroll at right tackle, a combination that the Crimson Tide experimented with earlier in the season before ultimately sticking with it in the final games of the regular season.

In the Crimson Tide’s first meeting with Georgia, Formby started at right guard, and he finished with a 93.2 pass block grade, per Pro Football Focus. That grade was the highest on the team that game, but when Formby went back to playing right tackle at times this year, his pass block grade has been nowhere near that mark. Now, it appears as if Alabama is rocking with Formby at right guard and Carroll at right tackle for the remainder of the season.

According to Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, the change on the right side of the offensive line had nothing to do with Formby’s play at right tackle, and he even said he thought Formby did a nice job at tackle.

“I met with the O-line earlier this week and just talked about that a little bit because for Wilkin, I think it’s important, and I made sure the room knows it too, Michael didn’t move to tackle because Wilkin wasn’t playing good at tackle. It was an overall move to help the right side, and we felt like Wilkin was playing great at tackle, I thought. The move inside was more about Wilkin helping the interior of the offensive line. I think he’s done a great job of that. He’s a good communicator when you have a freshman next to you. Michael needs that communication and has done a good job listening to the older guys. I really feel like he’s done a great job especially for a guy that hasn’t played a ton of guard, and there’s times where he’s playing at a really, really high level.”

Like Grubb said, until Formby was moved to right guard, he had zero experience at that position, but he’s looked solid in the few games he’s played there.

Grubb’s reasoning for Formby’s move to guard lines up with what Formby said last week.

“Basically, the message was like, ‘You’re playing good ball at tackle but for our offense,’ whatever week it was that I got moved to guard, they were like this is going to fit our scheme better,” Formby said on Friday. “That’s just what they needed. I’m not going to say no. I just want to help the team win in any way possible. I’m thankful for any role on this team and to have an opportunity to help our team, and so that’s really all that I cared about.”

Formby believes that he can be nastier at right guard as he is on the interior of the offensive line, and Grubb’s point about Formby’s solid communication can help the Alabama offense be on the same page in a hostile environment like Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma defense sacked Ty Simpson four times in the last meeting, so it will be intriguing to see how Alabama’s offensive line performs on Friday Night.