Fierce freshman: Forristall displays his strength on the field
In the early days of practice for the 2016 season, a University of Alabama rookie challenged Ryan Anderson.
Miller Forristall, a few inches taller but more than 25 pounds lighter than the 6-foot-2, 253-pound senior linebacker, took him on in practice. It wasn't supposed to be a full-speed drill, but the young tight end brought everything he had.
Anderson took exception.
"I definitely wanted to break him in, teach him a lesson," Anderson said.
Forristall came back for more, even though inside he wasn't so sure of himself.
"A little intimidating at first," the freshman from Cartersville, Ga., confessed. "But it feels good. He'll get after you and he'll say, 'C'mon, man, keep going, let's go, let's push.
"You've got to push back."
Forristall is still pushing. He found himself on the field for Alabama's first offensive snap in the season opener against Southern Cal and again last weekend against Florida in the SEC Championship Game. He's also played all 11 of the Crimson Tide's other games.
Forristall was a 190-pound quarterback just a couple of years ago. He moved to tight end for his senior year at Cartersville High School with the emergence of Trevor Lawrence, who is now rated as the No. 1 pro-style quarterback prospect in the 2018 recruiting class.
"It was best for our team if I played tight end and he played quarterback," Forristall said. "We ended up winning a state championship. It turned out pretty well."
Forristall caught 57 passes for 902 yards and 11 touchdowns as a prep senior and earned a three-star ranking as the No. 21 tight end in rankings by Rivals.com.
At 6-foot-5, he's grown to about 230 pounds and wants to add more muscle.
"Eating everything," he said. "They're getting me right."
Most of his contributions have been as a blocker, but he has snagged five passes for 73 yards. His most memorable play came with Alabama facing second-and-15 from its own 5-yard line at LSU with the game in a scoreless tie late in the third quarter. UA dialed up a misdirection play that resulted in a pass to Forristall for a 22-yard gain and a first down.
It sparked a long drive that gave Alabama the lead.
"We practiced it all week. We just kind of put it in," he said.
He was a little surprised when offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin introduced the play in practice, targeting him.
"All right, let's do it," he said, recalling his reaction. "I was super excited. I was flattered. It was a good play. You do what the coaches say and it turns out pretty well."
For now Forristall isn't worried about his reception totals. He's understudying O.J. Howard, the most valuable player from last year's national championship game, and waiting to take his place when the time comes.
"I hope I can develop into that role," he said. "It's really good to kind of learn behind O.J. He's a great leader, a great player."
He has one believer, for sure.
"He's a tough dude," Anderson said. "He comes hard every time. He came in a man, but that dude puts on about 15 or 20 pounds, he's going to be scary."
College Football Playoff Semifinal
Peach Bowl
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Washington
Where: Georgia Dome in Atlanta
When: Dec. 31 at 2 p.m. CT Records: Alabama 13-0, Washington 12-1
TV: ESPN
Radio: 95.3 FM, 102.9 FM
