Making the jump from the FCS to the SEC isn't easy. Alabama is banking on Cal Poly transfer center Racin Delgatty to make it look like that.
Josh Cuevas proved it was possible. The former Tide TE began his career at Cal Poly with a stop at Washington before he landed in Tuscaloosa. But Cuevas didn't play a position in which he was tasked with blocking the mammoth nose tackles in the SEC or pinning and pulling to track down speedy, athletic linebackers.
Delgatty has good tape. Former Auburn center turned SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic had plenty of praise for it when Delgatty announced his transfer to Alabama. The fact that Michigan had high interest in Delgatty shows what the consensus was in the portal, too.
But there's a difference between the belief that he can make the jump to this level and his actually doing it. Grubb and Kalen DeBoer are betting on Delgatty's ability to make the transition. He was effectively named the Tide's starting center immediately in the spring, and nothing has changed that as fall camp ramps up.
Grubb has liked what he's seen from Delgatty so far, and believes he has the right blend of what Alabama needs out of its starting center.
Ryan Grubb offers praise to projected Alabama starting center Racin Delgatty
“Racin’s bigger than people think. He operates at over 300 pounds pretty consistently," Grubb said after practice on Monday. ..."He’s got decent size. He’s super athletic, though. I think that’s the part that when he got out there and just played, I realized he had the athleticism and physicality to do this. Especially against our front, I think that gives him the confidence that he knows he can do it.
..."You want to have a guy versatile enough so you can run some pin-pulls, some counter, get them out on the move on the screens, things like that. At the same time, you need a guy who can be strong enough to hold the middle in the A-gap and run duo. Get physical at the line of scrimmage. I really do think that Racin has that blend.”
Delgatty is tasked with replacing Parker Brailsford, who, when healthy, was one of the best centers in college football the last two years. Despite being a fifth-round pick by the Cleveland Browns, Brailsford is making a legitimate push to start as a rookie.
Brailsford was undersized for the position, too, but that never held him back. Delgatty is actually slightly bigger, despite his size being a major topic of conversation in Alabama circles.
Alabama asked a lot of Brailsford in terms of pinning and pulling and getting out into space. He was exceptional at that, but struggled down the stretch after a foot injury last season. Delgatty will be asked to do the same stuff. The athleticism isn't a concern. That's obvious on tape. But how will he hold up in the A-gap against SEC nose tackles game after game? Will he hold the point of attack well for Alabama to call power runs up the middle?
That's a major question mark. The good news is that Delgatty is going against what is expected to be a much-improved defensive front for Alabama every day in practice. If he was going to get exposed, that would be happening in practice. And if that was happening consistently in practice, then DeBoer and Grubb would be looking to make a change at center.
Instead, Delgatty has consistently been mentioned as the guy in the middle. It's a gamble based on where he has spent his career thus far, but it's one that the coaching staff is clearly comfortable making from what he's shown in practice.
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