Replacing Parker Brailsford at center won't be an easy task for Kalen DeBoer and Alabama football.
Brailsford was one of the best centers in college football the last two seasons in Tuscaloosa. His play tailed off a bit this past season down the stretch, but that was due in large part to a foot injury he suffered that limited his effectiveness.
But in Brailsford, when healthy, Alabama had an athletic, albeit undersized, center who could pull and get out in space to hit blocks and spring the running game.
Alabama may have found his perfect replacement, according to the SEC Network's Cole Cubelic, a former Auburn center and one of the most knowledgeable analysts in college football when it comes to offensive line play.
Cubelic always had high praise for Brailsford, so hearing him compare Racin Delgatty, who Alabama landed in the Transfer Portal out of Cal Poly, to him should have Crimson Tide fans awfully excited.
"Almost went and got a carbon copy of one of the best pieces on their football team that they had last year, and that's Parker Brailsford," Cubelic said about Delgatty, via the Cube Show on YouTube.
"He's quick enough and agile enough (for the scheme). He is an excellent puller. He can get out in space quickly, he doesn't waste time, and he doesn't take false steps. He has a great punch. ...The desire is going to be there. This kid likes to play football. He plays the game the way you want him to play the game. He will finish."
Cole Cubelic calls Racin Delgatty almost a 'carbon copy' of Parker Brailsford
Like Brailsford, Delgatty is a bit undersized (6-foot-4, 300 pounds), but he's got the athleticism on the interior that DeBoer and OC Ryan Grubb have shown to covet. Cubelic notes that, despite playing against some bigger defensive linemen when he faced Utah at Cal Poly, Delgatty was rarely overpowered.
But playing on a down-to-down basis in the SEC is a different animal, and there could be an adjustment period for Delgatty.
But he's an experienced guy with over 1300 snaps under his belt. 785 of those snaps came as a pass blocker over the last two seasons, and he only allowed one sack, two QB hits, and 14 total quarterback pressures in all those snaps.
There's a reason why he was coveted by many power-four programs, including Michigan.
This was a major Transfer Portal win for DeBoer and Alabama. If Cubelic is correct on what he sees on tape, then you can pencil Delgatty in as a starter on the Alabama offensive line next year.