Tight End and Offensive Line
Tight End
Starter: Miller Forristall
Backup: Major Tennison
Reserves: Kedrick James, Michael Parker, Jahleel Billingsley
James would be in the mix for a starter or at least a backup role except for a suspension. Few suspension details were released in December. James did not travel with the team to either playoff game and Nick Saban said the violations were NCAA-related. James could well miss games at the start of the 2019 season.
Michael Parker is also a bit of a question mark. Parker was recently listed at 216 pounds. On his 6-feet-6 frame, that is not tight end weight. Consider this as pure conjecture, but traditional ‘West Coast’ sets included spacing the tight end away from a tackle, thereby making the position another wide receiver. Parker would fit into such a role well.
Freshman tight end Jahleel Billingsley does not enroll until summer.
Offensive Line
Right Tackle
Starter: Jedrick Wills
Backup: TBD
Right Guard
Starter: Matt Womack
Backup: TBD
Center
Starter: Chris Owens
Backup: Emil Ekiyor
Left Guard
Starter: Emil Ekiyor
Backup: TBD
Left Tackle
Starter: Alex Leatherwood
Backup: Scott Lashley
Deonte Brown is missing from the starter list at guard for the same reason as Kedrick James. Brown’s NCAA-related suspension may well extend into part of the 2019 season. Otherwise, he would be solidly set for left guard.
The use of TBD above reflects a fluid situation with the offensive line two-deep. Several reserves can work themselves into the two-deep. Most likely are redshirt freshman Tommy Brown, redshirt sophomore Kendall Randolph and three true freshmen; Evan Neal, Darrian Dalcourt and Pierce Quick. Neal, Dalcourt and Quick were early enrollees.