Meet the 2013 Tide Players: Arie Kouandjio, Chad Lindsay & Austin Shepherd
By Ron Clark
Sep 15, 2012; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide offensive lineman Austin Shepherd (79) – Ryan Kelly (70) – Chad Lindsay (78) and Kellen Williams (63) during the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Alabama defeated Arkansas 52-0. Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Arie Kouandjio
Cyrus Kouandjio protects AJ McCarron’s blind side. His older brother Arie (6-foot-5, 315 pounds) hopes to help him anchor the left side of the offensive line.
Alabama signed Arie Kouandjio in 2010 out of DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. He earned a spot in the U.S. Army All-American game and was a four-star offensive line prospect. Rivals.com, Tom Lemming, and Scout.com rated him the number 15, 12 and 29 offensive tackle in the nation respectively. ESPNU saw Kouandjio as the fourteenth best offensive guard in the class of 2010.
Alabama fans were excited about the signing of the eldest Kouandjio but had to wait a year to see him play, due to his taking a redshirt during his first season on campus.
In 2011, a knee injury ended his season after playing against Penn State and Arkansas.
Arie played in ten games as a sophomore in 2012. His playing time primarily came during mop-up duty.
The Kouandjio brothers look to start at left tackle and left guard in 2013. However, Kellen Williams doesn’t appear to want to hand Arie the guard position. The winner of the Williams-Kouandjio battle should be known before the week of the Virginia Tech game.
Chad Lindsay
Chad Lindsay chose to play for Alabama over several SEC schools, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Notre Dame. ESNPU’s number one offensive guard prospect in 2010 enrolled a semester early to adapt to the college game.
The 6’2, 302 pound junior lineman took a redshirt during his first season on campus to continue to adjust to college life.
Lindsay saw playing time twice in his freshman season. He played in week one against Kent State and when Alabama hosted rival Tennessee.
This past season, Lindsay played in nine of Alabama’s games. His playing time came from Alabama getting big leads and hoping to prevent injuries to the starters.
As far as expectations in 2013, Lindsay looks to be on the second string offensive line. His threes on campus will help him provide some experience and maturity if he needs to replace an injured player during a game.
Austin Shepherd
Junior offensive lineman Austin Shepherd looks to replace first round draft pick D.J. Fluker at right tackle in 2013.
The 6’5, 315 pound lineman played in nine games in 2012 and seven games in 2011 as Fluker’s backup.
Coming out of North Gwinnett High School in Buford, Georgia, Shepherd was ESPNU’s 46th ranked offensive tackle, Rivals.com’s 18th best offensive guard, and Scout.com’s 22nd rated guard.
Outside of football, Austin has the Austin Shepherd Foundation, which aims to “bring love, joy, and hope” to children in the Birmingham-Tuscaloosa area. To learn more about Austin’s work, go to the foundation’s website.
All signs point to Shepherd being the number one right tackle in 2013. No practice report or observers say otherwise. Until then, expect Shepherd to lineup next to Anthony Steen and make running holes for T.J. Yeldon.