ALABAMA FOOTBALL: Position shuffle continues for Tide

By Ken Rogers

Published: August 19, 2008

TUSCALOOSA — Some position “experiments” on the Alabama football team indicate where Nick Saban feels his team is sound and where he’s still looking for help.

The coach disclosed Tuesday that defensive lineman Alfred McCullough has moved to the offensive line.

McCullough joins a list of players who have changed sides of the ball during fall camp. Others are still moving within personnel groups as the Aug. 30 season opener against Clemson draws closer.

Saban said the reason for the position changes is simple. He’s trying to get the best players on the field.

“We see him as one of the top 50 or 60 guys on our team,” Saban said. “He wasn’t quite working into the two-deep and didn’t have a role on defense. ... We think he’s a good athlete and a good player and think he can contribute to the team someplace.”

McCullough, a 6-foot-2, 295-pounder from Athens, brings a good skills set to offensive guard.

“Alfred had a really good spring as a defensive lineman,” Saban said. “He’s got explosive quickness and good one-step quickness and he plays with power. He’s an instinctive football player. As I said before, this is an experiment to see how he does at offensive line. A lot of times when you recruit guys as defensive linemen, they’re a little bit better athlete. They can run a little bit better. They’ve got a
little bit more explosive power.”

Part of the experiment may be the impact Brian Motley is making at center since he moved from defense earlier in camp.

“I think Motley’s developing nicely on the offensive line,” Saban said. “He’s made a tremendous amount of progress. He’s a little better athlete; he’s got a little better explosive power in his lower body. He’s got a little better balance and body control and quickness. He can run a little bit better.

“But offensive line is a developmental position. So it takes a little while. We see some of those same attributes in Alfred.”

The defensive front can absorb the loss of Motley and McCullough as other linemen have made an impact.

Brandon Deaderick, Terrence Cody, Lorenzo Washington, Luther Davis, Nick Gentry, Josh Chapman and Marcel Dareus have at least worked into the rotation up front, defensive end Bobby Greenwood said.

Saban also said shifting Cory Reamer from inside linebacker to outside allows talented freshman Don’ta Hightower a chance to play inside with Rolando McClain.

“It leaves us a little short at inside ’backer in terms of depth, but I think we have to play our best 11 players,” Saban said. “If he (Reamer) has to double up somewhere inside, then that is what he has to do. I think it gave us a chance to put the best 11 players on the field — at least for Saturday — with Ro and Hightower playing inside, and Reamer and (Brandon) Fanney playing outside.”

Saban also said Chris Jordan’s move to outside linebacker from running back will continue.

Reamer, himself a former safety, was asked about the position changes.

“Yeah, that’s just part of it,” he said. “We are trying to get the best people we can out on the field, and if that means moving people around, that is just part of it. You have to roll with the punches.”

Reamer said he was comfortable playing inside or outside.

“I’ve been moved from Sam (outside) to Will (inside), to Sam, to Will ever since I’ve moved to linebacker,” he said.