Alabama Football: What Position Experiments Is Nick Saban Trying in 2015?

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Some of Alabama’s top performers under Nick Saban were made possible by position changes and experiments.

Cyrus Jones, who started every game for the Crimson Tide at cornerback, came to Alabama as a wide receiver but made the switch to cornerback after one year. Quarterback Blake Sims, who led a record-breaking Alabama offense and set some individual marks along the way, played running back for his first two years on campus.

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Last year, a couple of these changes stuck. Dakota Ball moved from defensive line to tight end, appearing in all but two games as a blocker. And Brandon Green slid from tackle to tight end, playing in all but three games and catching a pass in overtime against LSU, one of the game’s critical plays.

So what kind of tinkering is Nick Saban doing during spring practice this year? Do any of these moves have a chance at sticking?

The big ones—literally—are all on the defensive line, where the Crimson Tide’s incredible depth gives coaches some leeway to try some new things out.

Johnny Dwight is going the Ball route, moving from defensive line to tight end. Running passing routes, he looks like, well, a converted lineman, but where he’s most likely to make an impact is as a blocker in obvious run downs.

With Brian Vogler’s departure, Alabama has a void to fill in terms of a blocking tight end. O.J. Howard is going to be the passing threat in that group, but Vogler was a rock in run blocking.

Last year, Ball proved he could be used situationally as a blocker, an experiment that succeeded. Dwight could find himself having similar success next year, and if he can trim down a bit, he could be a versatile player almost like Jalston Fowler was—blocking and catching out of the backfield while playing all over the line.

The other defensive line move is Korren Kirven, who is going to try things out on the offensive line. Kirven has appeared in a handful games the last two years after taking a redshirt in 2012, largely in backup and late-game roles.

He hasn’t been able to make much of an impact on defense, and as Alabama continues to stockpile talent at that position, his chances are looking even slimmer to be a regular contributor over there. He may be able to stick on the offensive line, though, where Alabama has to replace three starters from a year ago.

Alabama’s other notable position change isn’t exactly new but still newsworthy nonetheless. Ronnie Clark, who did a little bit of everything in high school, played safety for his first few months in Tuscaloosa. He made the switch to running back in October but tore his Achilles in a non-contact situation just weeks later.

Clark is apparently healthy again and sticking with the running backs, where a suspension and a transfer have left the Crimson Tide a little thin. He’s going through drills as the fourth running back behind Derrick Henry, Kenyan Drake and Bo Scarbrough.

Speaking of Scarbrough, don’t expect him to be moved around just yet. While he’s a multitalented athlete who could probably play any offensive skill position, Saban is content to have him at running back for the time being.

Again, it’s a place where Alabama needs a little depth.

“We’re playing Bo right now at running back, and the one thing we try to do with young players is not move them around and try to teach them a bunch of different positions,” Saban said. “With Bo, we’re going to try to teach him one thing, and that’s how to play tailback right now. And until we figure out if he can or can’t do that, we’re probably not going to give him multiple roles right now.”

So Saban will stick with older players, like Dwight and Kirven, to move around in the meantime, trying to find the right spot for everyone on the team and maybe finding another successful position change in the process.

Marc Torrence is the Alabama Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. All quotes and reporting were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Follow on Twitter @marctorrence.