TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama offensive lineman Jonah Williams is determined to relearn the left tackle position. After starting every game at right tackle last season, the rising sophomore will move over to the opposite side of the line to take over for departing left tackle Cam Robinson.
Of course, left tackle isn’t completely foreign to Williams. It’s where he played in high school where he came to the Crimson Tide as a five-star recruit and the No. 2 offensive tackle in the 2016 class.
Still, relearning his technique has required some extra dedication.
“I would go out on the field after practice with Ross (Pierschbacher) and my buddies and play the left tackle spot, getting used to it, getting a feel for it,” Williams said. “I tried to eat and write with my left hand, get a little ambidextrous. It was smooth for me. It wasn't a big shock.”
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Williams said the switch in hands was completely voluntary, calling it more of a game he was playing with himself. Although, while the coaching staff hasn’t enforced the change, the offensive lineman has plenty of help keeping himself in check off the field.
“Some of my friends remind me to put the fork back in my left hand when I'm eating or something like that,” Williams said. “But for the most part, it's going well.”
With most things, anyway. Williams says he was never able to get his penmanship up to speed while using his left hand.
“No, I gave up that pretty quick when I was graded on the assignments,” he said. “But I can do most things, it's just the really fine motor skills that are going to take a while to do if I keep working on that.”
Fortunately for the Tide, Williams' challenges on the field have been far less noticeable.
"It's been pretty easy for him, I think," Alabama offensive lineman Ross Pierschbacher said earlier this spring. "He said he feels maybe even more comfortable on the left than the right which is surprising to me. He's done a really good job. He's the type of guy that if he sets him mind to it, he's going to achieve it. He really wanted to get that left tackle spot and he's done everything to earn it."
In reality, Williams said the shift from right to left tackle isn’t as big of a deal as many are making it. It’s not like the 6-foot-5, 301-pound lineman isn’t allowed to use his right hand, and after playing the position in high school he’s actually pretty adept at using his left.
“It's the same as anyone trying to do anything with their left hand they usually do with their right or their left foot or whatever,” Williams explained. “But at the same time, I use my right hand for a lot of stuff at left tackle so it's not a huge difference from that standpoint.
“It takes a little bit of getting used to when you're watching film to have your eyes snap from the left tackle to right tackle. But I played both in high school. We did field and boundary operations, so I would switch every single time the ball went to the other hash.”
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Along with the new spot on the line, Williams now takes on a added responsibility — protecting starting quarterback Jalen Hurts’ blindside. Due to most quarterbacks being right-handed, left tackle has generally been thought of as the most important position on the line.
According to a 2014 study by BusinessInsider.com, NFL tackles were paid an average of $9.6 million per season, making the position the highest-paid spot on the offensive line and fifth-highest position in the league.
"There's a stigma to it, but it's not the 1980s anymore with Steve Wallace and Joe Montana and stuff like that," Williams said. "It's not as big of a difference, you know. The quarterback looking on the left side of the field is not the blind spot anymore. It's not a huge difference like that. There's a stigma that goes along with the title, but it's just a title."
In the event that Hurts goes down at any point this season, it could send another shakeup across the line. Left-handed early enrollee Tua Tagovailoa appears to be next up at quarterback, meaning if he ever has to fill in, the job of protecting his blind side would fall to the right tackle.
Right now, that appears to be rising redshirt sophomore, Matt Womack. The former three-star recruit has been impressive so far in camp with Alabama head coach Nick Saban stating that the offensive lineman has been “making progress” early on.
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“I'm really proud of him,” Williams said of Womack. “He's done a good job. He's been working hard, kind of quietly for a while. He's got an opportunity over there and doing a good job.”
Alabama has continued to tinker with its offensive line this spring, moving in different players as it tries to replace both Robinson and starting right guard Korren Kirven from last season. Williams has managed to stay at left tackle through the various changes but would not comment on whether or not he thinks he will remain at the position for the start of the season.
As of now, that looks like the most probable outcome, and that’s just fine with him.
“I enjoy playing left tackle, it's what I've wanted to play for a long time,” Williams said. “I'm comfortable there.”
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