It was the spring of 2011. There was a big freshman in Dennis Conner’s office at Tuscaloosa Central High School. Lester Cotton was telling Conner about where he wanted football to take him.

Five years later, Cotton is living that dream. He’s the starting right guard at the University of Alabama.

“That was his dream, from the first day he came to Central High School,” Conner said. “I asked what he wanted to accomplish, and that’s what he told me. He wanted to go play for the University of Alabama. I said ‘Now, you know there are going to be some days that you don’t like. But that’s OK. If that’s what you want to do, there are going to be a lot of days that you don’t like it.’”

Conner, the head coach at Central, would be correct in the end. Cotton would make it as an offensive lineman for the Crimson Tide. But there were days along the way that tested the sincerity of his intentions.

It wasn’t the transition to college that challenged Cotton, Conner said. It was the days before and since.

Cotton was a “still a little kid in a big body” when he was sitting in Conner’s office as a freshman, but the coach knew his young player had talent. He’d eventually grow into a 6-4, 319-pound mauler and the No. 3 guard in the nation during his senior year. But he had some learning to do before then.

Cotton was struggling one day during spring practice in his junior year. He kept missing his block. So Conner kept him after practice that day for 45 minutes that day. He forced Cotton to take rep after rep against every defensive lineman on the team. It went on “until I got tired,” the coach said.

“Then that day, he decided to become the man that he is now,” Conner said.

Some players may not have accepted a challenge like that from their coach. Conner knew there was a chance his star offensive lineman might walk away.

“It was a risk,” Conner said. “But I knew it was something inside that he wanted. Not that I wanted. But you’ve got to be able to pull that out, that he wanted it. In order for him to get to that point, that’s what you’ve got to go through. This is what it’s going to be like almost every day at practice across the street (at Alabama).”

Cotton still makes the trip back across the street regularly. His brother, Martavious Ward, is a defensive lineman for Central. Cotton and Conner talk about once a week. It’s not unusual to see Cotton back at his high school, saying hello to teachers and coaches. He hasn’t been by yet this week, but Conner expects to see him soon. Central’s principal is an LSU fan; Cotton may want to say hello after last week’s 10-0 win against the Tigers.

That was Cotton’s fifth start of the season. He opened the season at left guard before losing his starting spot to Alphonse “Shank” Taylor. He rotated in at right guard with Taylor for a time before a concussion sidelined the senior against Arkansas. The right guard spot has been Cotton’s ever since. His play hasn’t been perfect but his progression is encouraging.

“I still think we have work to do in some areas of our team,” head coach Nick Saban said on Monday. “I made mention of the fact that it was tough on the offensive line in some of the scenarios we had last week. That's something that we certainly need to work on and get fixed. Lester made steady improvement and we'd certainly like to see him play aggressive and physical all the time and finish and be more confident in what he's required and supposed to do, but he has gotten better and better as the year has gone on."

The time spent on the bench was a wake-up call to Cotton. He’d been working with the starters for much of spring and into fall camp, then found himself falling on the depth chart.

Cotton would call his high school coach and tell him how hard he was working in practice. Conner told him he needed to work even harder. Cotton kept working until the job was his. Taylor has missed the last three games, and Cotton has kept working.

“He’s more tuned-in,” Conner said. “It seems like he’s a whole lot more tuned-in and making sure he’s taking care of his blocks, taking care of his assignment. Once you get a taste of not playing or not starting, you don’t ever want to go back to that.”

There’s also the matter of being a hometown hero. Bryant-Denny Stadium is only a half-mile from Central High School. Playing for the University of Alabama is a dream for many, but the dream weighs heavier on some players than others.

“I think it means a little more to the guys from the state because they know the tradition and the history behind everything,” center Bradley Bozeman said. “I think it might mean a little more, but I can’t speak for everyone.”

Conner said he feels like a “proud father” when he watches Cotton play for the Crimson Tide. His goal for Cotton was to earn a college degree, and he’s well on his way to doing that also.

Cotton has grown up since he sat in his high school coach’s office and told him he wanted to play football at Alabama. He’s grown up even since this August. He still has plenty more growing to do.

“The most satisfying thing was for him to be playing and starting,” Conner said. “Everyone over here at Central High School is very proud of him. Matter of fact, everyone in Tuscaloosa City Schools, the whole city of Tuscaloosa, we’re really completely proud of him.”

Reach Ben Jones at ben@tidesports.com or 205-722-0196.