McCullough helping on Bama front line

By Michael Casagrande, Decatur Daily

TUSCALOOSA -- The departure of three starting offensive linemen has generated plenty of talk and some degree of concern for the Alabama football team.

Now a player has emerged as a somewhat of a surprise candidate to step into one of those roles.

Athens, Ala., player Alfred McCullough has been taking reps with the first-team offense at right guard after previously playing primarily on the defensive line before redshirting last season.

In spring practice, John Michael Boswell and Brian Motley took saw the majority of the time at position occupied by Marlon Davis last season.

Sunday's Fan Day practice saw McCullough play multiple spots on the line from left tackle to right guard with both the first and second teams.

And though it might be early in the fall practice regimen, McCullough has impressed those playing around him.

"He's obviously an athletic guy coming from the defensive line," said All-SEC lineman Mike Johnson. "We just have to make sure he knows where to be at the right time. He's obviously an athletic guy, a strong guy who is built for the offensive line."

McCullough, a 6-foot-3, 305-pounder, started his Crimson Tide career as a defensive lineman as a freshman in 2007. The former Golden Eagle played in the season opener, recording a tackle and recovering a fumble in a 52-6 win over Western Carolina.

By the spring of 2008, he won the A-Day most valuable lineman award by making six solo tackles and a sack.

That, however, would be the last time he saw time on defense.

By the fall of 2008, he was redshirting as he made the transition to the offensive line. McCullough, who played some offensive line in high school, said he was "raw" in the offense last season but is feeling much more at ease with the terminology this fall.

"I'm a lot comfortable with what I'm doing," he said. "I know a lot more of the plays this year."

Where he plays on the line is not nearly as important as just getting time on the field when the season begins in September.

"I like guard, but I might play a little tackle too," McCullough said. "Where ever I fit in is where I want to play."

The departure of Davis and NFL draft picks Andre Smith (first round) and Antoine Caldwell (third round) have created plenty of competition for the open spots that will likely include 6-6, 340-pound freshman D.J. Fluker and junior college transfer James Carpenter.

When asked about his impressions of the superhuman size of Fluker, McCullough just laughed.

"He's just huge," McCullough said. "I don't see where he came from. He's just huge. I've never seen anyone like him."

Decatur's Rolando McClain is McCullough's roommate and, on occasion, the subject of his bunkmate's blocking assignments in practice.

So far, he's been impressed with what he's seen from McCullough to this point.

"The coaches are experimenting right now, putting guys in different places," McClain said. "So it's really up to him how hard to wants to work."