STAFFORD VISITS UGA
Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford spoke Friday at Georgia’s coaching clinic. Stafford played for the Bulldogs from 2006 to ’08 before becoming the top overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft. Early enrollee Jacob Eason is Georgia’s most heralded quarterback prospect since Stafford, who had a chance to watch the freshman.“I watched him throw it around,” Stafford told reporters. “He looked like he had a bunch of talent. Obviously, he was a very highly recruited kid. I’m sure it’s a lot of fun for him. I know it was for me coming from a long way away and kind of immersing myself in Georgia and the culture and having a good time doing it.”
Long before Alabama establishes its starting quarterback and tailback for the 2016 season opener against Southern California, the Crimson Tide must develop a quality center.
Ryan Kelly certainly fit that description, starting for three years, playing a part in 37 victories and winning the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s top center this past December. Kelly’s backup a year ago was J.C. Hassenauer, but getting the early crack at snapping this spring has been Ross Pierschbacher, who started all 15 games last season at left guard.
“We run zone-blocking, gap-blocking and man-blocking, and the center is an important part for any of those schemes in terms of what he does,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said this week in a news conference. “What our center does for us that makes him even more important is that he’s the leader of the front in terms of making calls and pointing out the Mike (middle linebacker), which tells everybody who they should block and who we’re working toward, especially when we’re zone-blocking.
“We’ve tried Ross there, and he’s done a really nice job. We obviously lost a great player at that position, and it’s going to be critical that we develop somebody who can play it effectively this fall.”
The Crimson Tide held their fourth spring practice Friday afternoon, working out for two hours in full pads. They have Easter weekend off before resuming practices Monday.
Pierschbacher, a 6-foot-4, 304-pound redshirt sophomore from Cedar Falls, Iowa, was a top-five guard prospect in the 2014 class according to ESPN and Scout.com, and he wasted no time producing after his redshirt year.
In last September’s opener against Wisconsin, Pierschbacher graded out at 88 percent, racked up four knockdown blocks and aided an offense that hung 502 yards on the Badgers in a 35-17 whipping. In his first Iron Bowl appearance, Pierschbacher had no missed assignments in 78 snaps as the Tide wore down Auburn to win 29-13.
Pierschbacher, who allowed just 1.5 sacks in the 15-game season, doesn’t seem to mind working at a different position.
“I’m embracing the change of wherever the team needs me,” Pierschbacher told reporters this week. “I think they are trying out some new stuff in spring and seeing what guys fit where. I’m just working to try to make the team better, and each day I’m learning new stuff. It’s a good challenge.”
All-Southeastern Conference centers have become commonplace under Saban, with Kelly having replaced Barrett Jones (2012), who replaced William Vlachos (2011).
Championships have also become commonplace again in Tuscaloosa.
“That’s certainly a critical position, considering he handles the ball every snap and develops confidence with the quarterback so we don’t have problems in that part of the game,” Saban said. “It’s also important that the center can reach somebody if you’re going to be a zone-blocking team and that he can play with a certain amount of power so we can get a lot of penetration inside. You look at certain assets – quickness, moving feet, balance and body control – and playing with power is somewhere in there.
“Ross has those attributes as a player, so he was a natural to be able to get a look at that position.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.