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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The diving board back in Hernando, Miss., might still be shaking. Few things are meant to sustain the force generated by 6-foot-7, 324-pound Matt Womack. Although, that doesn’t stop the Alabama offensive lineman from barreling his way for a dive into the pool.
“Oh yeah, he does flips,” Womack’s father David Womack told BamaInsider.com. “He’ll do a double somersault. He had one back a couple summers ago, I was like 'boy you are going to get hurt.' It was like a 10-foot diving board. He’d run and hit that diving board and do a double somersault off of it. When he hit that board, the board was almost to the water.”
Surprised? Get used to it. The former three-star recruit has made a habit of exceeding expectations lately.
Matt, a redshirt sophomore, earned the starting right tackle position this season, taking over for Jonah Williams who moved to left tackle to fill in for departing starter Cam Robinson. Through six games, the Mississippi native hasn’t missed a beat. He was named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week against Fresno State in Week 2 and has helped clear the way for an Alabama offense that ranks No. 19 in the nation averaging 483 yards per game.
“I think Matt has really improved. He’s played with more power,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said earlier this season. “He’s improved his pass protection. He’s a tough guy that it means a lot to him and he works hard. I think he’s an example of a guy that has really developed an ability to play winning football.”
That development came with plenty of hard work, which meant instead of working on his dives, Matt spent several hours in the pool this summer swimming laps in order to control his weight. On top of his time in the water, the surprisingly nimble offensive lineman also kept himself active by running or finding the occasional game of pickup basketball.
It also meant countless hours inside offensive line coach Brent Key’s office studying film and breaking down different blocking schemes. Of course, that’s nothing new for Matt. Despite being too big for the quarterback position, the offensive lineman grew up idolizing Peyton Manning. Just like the former NFL quarterback, he has always taken his preparation seriously.
“I told him Peyton Manning might not have been the best quarterback in the country, but he was the best at reading the defense and watching film,” David said. “I told Matt, 'You might not be the best athletic player in the country, but learn your opponent and it’ll all work out.'”
Matt admits he entered Alabama with a chip on his shoulder. Coming from a small private school in Mississippi, he knew he wouldn’t receive the same hype as the four- and five-star recruits the Crimson Tide generally signs on the offensive line.
In fact, he didn’t know what to expect after signing with Alabama. Unlike LSU, the school Matt originally committed to, Saban wasn’t promising him immediate playing time. The only thing the offensive lineman was guaranteed was a chance. Playing alongside some of the most talented players in the nation was always going to require some work.
“He went to Alabama knowing he might not play, but he knew if he had what it took, Alabama would bring it out in him,” David said. “I told him, ‘Son, if you work hard enough and if you want it enough you can make it happen.’ So he believed in himself going in. Buy into the system, work his ass off and his time would come if he had what it took. If not, he knew he didn’t have it to start with.”
David said he told his son that even one year starting at Alabama could be enough to earn him some looks at the NFL level. With that in mind, the offensive lineman began the process of making that dream come true.
After redshirting his first year on campus, Matt served as a backup last year, playing in nine games at left and right tackle. After Robinson left early for the NFL, it became clear Matt’s would have an opportunity. Although, it wouldn’t be easy.
Alabama signed two five-star freshmen in this year’s recruiting class in Alex Leatherwood and Jedrick Wills, both of whom were projected possible starters right away for Alabama.
“That’s the best thing that could have happened to him,” David said. “He already had his mind made up anyway that he was going to make the most of the opportunity. We would talk about it and that just propelled Matt to work harder. That’s competition, that what it does for you. Some people take it, some people can’t.”
Even after beating out Leatherwood, an early enrollee, during the spring, few were convinced Matt would be a starter by the start of the season. After joining the team in the summer, Wills generated most of the attention this preseason despite Matt earning the vast majority of the first-team reps at right tackle. However, that was something the sophomore was prepared for.
Matt was too busy to read what anyone was saying about him anyway. If the offensive lineman did have any spare time to read, his nose was inside the playbook as he studied each position across the offensive line in order to make sure he was ready whenever and wherever Alabama coaches needed him.
"I prepare the same way every day,” he said this week. “All the guys I was in competition with, they were really great athletes also and definitely have great upside to them. They're going to be a big part of our offense in the future. I come in every day and I try to put in the same work I can every day to get better."
The hard work paid off as Matt earned his first career start during the opener against Florida State. From there, the offensive lineman wasted no time repaying his coaches’ confidence. On Alabama’s first play from scrimmage, Matt picked up a linebacker to clear running back Damien Harris for a 34-yard run.
“I was pretty nervous,” he said. “My heart was pounding."
The following week, Matt was named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week after grading out at 90 percent with three knockdown blocks against Fresno State. He followed that up with a team-high four knockdown blocks against Colorado State in Week 3 before helping the Crimson Tide to back-to-back 600-yard games against Vanderbilt and Ole Miss.
Six weeks into the season, the worries some had over the right side of Alabama’s offensive line have disappeared.
“We always try to come out and make ourselves look really good, because, man, we don’t want to be known as the weak side of the line,” Matt said. “I try to keep it as the strong side of the line. Jonah (Williams) and Ross (Pierschbacher) do a great job over there (on the left) and (Bradley) Bozeman locks down center. I think we’re pretty even, pretty good.”
Despite his early success, Matt knows there’s still work to be done. He said he’s continuing to work on his pass sets and staying lower in run blocking.
During practice Wednesday, he was seen working some at right guard as Wills moved into the right tackle during individual drills. Later in the day, Saban praised Matt’s versatility, stating he has the ability to fill in at guard if something were to happen down the road.
Like always, Matt will be prepared and ready to dive in whenever he is called. By now, that shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise.
