re: Spring Practice News/Discussion Thread

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Miller Forristall could easily pass for a future banking executive. He's got the name and the neatly-combed blond hair to boot. It would be easy to picture him in a board room.

But then this week, Alabama coach Nick Saban called him "O.J.-like," referring to O.J. Howard, the former Tide tight end projected to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft later this month. 

A totally new impression of him was formulated at that moment. All of a sudden, it was easy to see Forristall beating a linebacker over the middle to snag a pass or sealing a defender and giving one of Alabama's talented running backs a path around the edge. 

"You play tight end knowing you got to get your hands dirty," he said.

With Howard gone, Forristall has the opportunity to bring these imagined scenarios to life as he cultivates a new image of himself as a lunchpail grinder. This offseason, Forristall has packed on 13 pounds to his 6-foot-5 frame so he is better equipped to play the "Y" -- the more traditional in-line blocking role associated with his position. 

"Miller is making progress in that area," Saban said. "He's gotten bigger and stronger."

Before making that observation, Saban noted that Forristall "played a lot last year." Indeed he did. The sophomore appeared in all 15 games as a freshman and even started two of them -- showing flashes along the way.

Remember the only touchdown drive from Alabama's 10-0 victory over LSU last November? Forristall helped set it in motion with a 22-yard reception that carried the Crimson Tide out of the shadow of its own end zone. 

It was one of five catches he made in 2016, when the tight ends were confined to the margins of Alabama's passing game. That could conceivably change under new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who as an assistant with the New England Patriots oversaw the players at the position Forristall plays.

Earlier this decade, New England helped put a modern spin on 12 personnel, using two tight ends as pass-catching weapons to shred opponents. The Patriots also would attack teams with Y-Iso, a formation with three wideouts stacked on one side and the tight end positioned -- usually flexed out -- on the other. This package is part of 11 personnel, which Alabama ran 64 percent of the time in 2016. 

"Obviously when [Daboll] was with the Patriots, [tight ends] had a lot of opportunities there, and I'm hoping we can get some opportunities here," Forristall said. "Hopefully we can get a little carryover."

Forristall stands to be the primary beneficiary. After all, his greatest potential exists as a receiver. A former high school quarterback, Forristall understood the value of running precise patterns and had a firm understanding of how to find soft zones in the defense. It helped him make the quick transition to the college game and get on the field at the outset of his career. So did Forristall's occasional repetitions with the wideouts during practice that were interspersed with the 196 snaps he played throughout 2016.

"Miller has really done a phenomenal job, whether it's catching passes or blocking," said rising junior tight end Hale Hentges. "He often teaches me things that I didn't know about running routes. He's a phenomenal route runner. He's done a lot better. He's worked extremely hard. He's stayed in the playbook. He's done a really good job. I think you're going to see that his development has grown even more than freshman year. So, he's going to be very good for us."

That's the expectation.

But will Forristall be O.J.-like? That is the question.

"I'm not quite O.J., and I know that," he said. "I don't want to be. I just want to do my job, be Miller Forristall."

In a new offense, where he's got a bankable skill-set, that just might be good enough.

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