Alabama has 'a ton of confidence' Lester Cotton can fill in at left guard

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — “Cornbread” won’t be included on the holiday menu, but No. 1 Alabama’s offensive line is still confident it has the right recipe for its Orange Bowl matchup against No. 4 Oklahoma.

Starting left guard Deonte “Cornbread” Brown was one of three Alabama players who did not make the trip to Florida as he, backup offensive lineman Elliot Baker and backup tight end Kedrick James were all suspended for violating team rules.

The loss of Brown leaves a 6-foot-4, 344-pound hole in the left side of Alabama’s offensive line. The redshirt sophomore, who has started five of the past six games, is viewed as one of the team’s best run blockers. Instead, Alabama will look to senior Lester Cotton to step back into the role.

Cotton, 6-foot-4, 324 pounds, started Alabama’s first seven games before being replaced by Brown. The Tuscaloosa, Ala., native was Alabama’s starting right guard last year and has made a combined 26 starts in his college career. However, his inability to provide a necessary push in the running game ultimately saw him lose his role on the first-team offense.

Cotton has had a streaky senior season. Through 11 games, he’s earned a run-blocking grade of 64.1, according to Pro Football Focus. However, he’s graded out below 60 run blocking in four of Alabama’s past five games, including a 46.1 grade against Missouri the game before being replaced by Brown in the starting lineup.

“Obviously Deonte played really well for us coming into this season, but we have a lot of confidence in Lester, all the games that he’s started around here,” offensive coordinator Mike Locksley said. “We’re fortunate to be able to have that kind of depth to where when you lose a guy like Deonte you have a three-year starter like Lester Cotton there waiting to go. Tremendous confidence. I have a ton of confidence that Lester will come in and do the job.”

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