Cross-training essential for Alabama when practicing in a pandemic
The team across the state has 16 players missing from practice this week due to COVID-19. Alabama has been able to navigate the pandemic with far less misfortune. However, the Crimson Tide isn’t taking any chances.
Following Saturday’s scrimmage, Nick Saban said Alabama had a few players who did not participate, hinting that at least some of the absentees were COVID-19 related.
“We’re treating those players as if all players who can’t practice are just like they’re injured,” Saban said, “and that’s the way we’re approaching it and trying to do everything we can possible to keep our players safe.”
Along with adhering to the safety protocols put in place to prevent the spread of the virus, Alabama is doing its best to prepare for what, at times, seems like an inevitable outbreak. While it would be difficult for any team to cope with a setback like Auburn recently suffered, the Tide is putting itself in a nice position to withstand a couple of players missing time in the future.
“We’ve got a global pandemic going on, and you never know who’s going to be missing one day, who’s going to be out the next,” tight end Miller Forristall said. “So we’ve really had to focus this year more than others on being able to play multiple positions. And I think that’s really helped us, and it is going to help us here in the fall.”
At the beginning of camp last month, Saban said he was having players work at multiple positions in order to be prepared in the event absences become an issue. The changes have been relatively minor.
Forristall explained that one day he might be called to spend time at the H tight end position and the next he might line up at the Y tight end spot. The same can be said about the offensive line where Alabama regularly moves players to different roles during camp.
This year’s shuffle up front saw Evan Neal shift from left guard to right tackle, Landon Dickerson move from center to right guard and Deonte Brown switch from right guard to left guard.
Following the scrimmage, Saban referenced Emil Ekiyor Jr. as one of three players in contention for the starting center position while also stating the redshirt sophomore has made nice progress at guard. Chris Owens, who started the scrimmage at center with the first-team offense, has also spent time at multiple positions across the line and even lined up at tight end at times last season.
That versatility not only insures the Tide in case of emergency but also allows for more players to earn first-team experience. Over the weekend Saban spoke about the importance of building depth up front, stating that if the unit remained healthy, “we can have a pretty good offensive line.”
So far, so good.
“We’re building depth, and depth is never a bad thing to have on the team,” Owens said. “You want to have as many possible starters you can on the team because you never know, especially in a year like this. If someone were to go down or get sick, we need as many bodies as we can.”
Alabama’s cross-training has yet to require a player to move to the opposite side of the ball. However, the Tide has several players capable of doing so if called upon.
Receiver DeVonta Smith spent time at cornerback during the spring of 2018 after Alabama lost its top six defensive backs from the year before. On the opposite side of the ball, safety DeMarcco Hellams earned Washington Post Metro Offensive Player of the Year honors after catching 78 passes for 1,469 yards and 21 touchdowns as a senior in high school.
Freshman Brian Branch, who started at Star during the scrimmage, was a standout receiver in high school as well. Fellow freshman Drew Sanders, who is working with the second team at outside linebacker, was also a prized tight end recruit, registering a combined 48 rushing and receiving touchdowns in his high school career.
“We’ve met with a couple guys in case that becomes an issue, but we haven’t really practiced anybody that way,” Saban said last month. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to develop enough depth internally that we’ll feel good about every position.”
Over the weekend, Saban was asked about facing challenges this offseason that he’s never had to deal with over his 45-year coaching career. The head coach referred to the adversities as “opportunities to learn and grow,” stating that coping through them would require a team effort from players and coaches alike.
In truth, the next few months figure to be uncharted waters for everyone.
“No one’s senior year has ever been like this,” Forristall said. “Not Coach, definitely not us. I’ve been alive for 22 years. There’s people who have been alive a lot longer than I have and haven’t seen anything like this.
“This has been nothing like (I envisioned). I mean no spring ball. No class. We’re at home all this time. We’re in Zoom meetings. I think you can kind of applaud our coaches and the university for how they’ve handled this, with so much uncertainty… I think our coaches and staff have handled it really, really well as far as preparing us for the best opportunity to be able to play here in the next couple of weeks.”
