Alabama Football: How Can Tide Overcome Former 5-Star Cam Robinson's Injury?

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama will likely be without its top offensive lineman when it travels to Baton Rouge to face LSU and possibly even longer.

Nick Saban on Tuesday announced that freshman left tackle Cam Robinson, who has started every game there this season, "is probably going to be out for at least two weeks" with "a high ankle sprain."

The former 5-star from West Monroe, Louisiana, likely won’t get a chance to go home to face the team that almost got his signature.

It’s a huge blow to an Alabama offensive line that was really starting to hit its stride, especially in a big road game that will have massive College Football Playoff implications.

Robinson had been a starter from day one, even in fall camp. After enrolling early in the spring, Saban noted several times how game-ready he was and how much improvement he had made.

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Once the season started, people saw just what he meant.

On an offensive line that had often lacked that grit and tenacity that previous lines before it had so much of, Robinson was a mauler in run blocking and rock solid in pass protection.

In the Florida game, when Alabama needed to run the ball, it buckled down and did so almost exclusively to the left side. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Robinson has been Alabama’s best offensive lineman so far this season.

So where does Alabama go from here? What can the Crimson Tide do to make sure their playoff hopes aren’t ruined by a key piece of its offensive line?

Saban and offensive line coach Mario Cristobal have a couple of choices personnel-wise.

Situation	Left tackle	Left guard	Center	Right guard	Right tackle
Tennessee starters	Cam Robinson	Arie Kouandjio	Ryan Kelly	Leon Brown	Austin Shepherd
After Robinson went down	Leon Brown	Arie Kouandjio	Ryan Kelly	Bradley Bozeman	Austin Shepherd
Tuesday practice	Austin Shepherd	Arie Kouandjio	Ryan Kelly	Leon Brown	Grant Hill

In an on-the-fly move when Robinson went down during Alabama’s game against Tennessee on Saturday, the Crimson Tide pulled a double switch. Right guard Leon Brown moved to left tackle, while Bradley Bozeman, who had started two games at center in Ryan Kelly’s absence, came in at right guard.

Brown was actually recruited as a tackle and had played there before. This year, he filled a need at guard, which is where he’s played up until that Tennessee game.

The other option would be to move right tackle Austin Shepherd to the left side and bring in Grant Hill, a former 4-star, on the right side. Hill has gotten a lot of playing time in mop-up duty on that right side and is one of the Crimson Tide’s promising youngsters up front.

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That's how Alabama lined up during the media viewing period of Tuesday's practice. And it sounds like that’s the plan Saban hopes comes to fruition.

“If it works out, those two guys could be the tackles,” he said. “Whichever one plays right and whichever one plays left would be one option, and leave Leon where he is, or move Leon and play somebody else at guard.

“But I really do think that Grant Hill played pretty well when he's had to play this year so far, is a guy that we'll give an opportunity to at least in practice and see how he does. If it works out, those two guys will be the tackles.”

Shepherd said this kind of situation was expected.

“I just think it’s time for someone to step up,” he said. “It happens every year, people get hurt, someone has to step up.”

Alabama certainly has options of what it could do here. It has a stockpile of offensive line talent from which to choose replacements or do additional shuffling among the starters.

Whatever happens, the Crimson Tide will begin a critical stretch of the season without one of their best players.

Marc Torrence is the Alabama lead writer for Bleacher Report. All stats come from cfbstats.

Follow on Twitter @marctorrence.