BAMANEWSBOT
Staff
There's a reason why Jacob Coker isn't on Twitter. He hates cell phones.
Alabama center Ryan Kelly does, too. Only recently did he cave and buy an iPhone after realizing a flip phone wasn't going to cut it anymore.
Perhaps that's why they've bonded quickly through the first day of camp as roommates together at Bryant Hall. Senior tight end Brian Vogler completes the trio, which resides on the first floor with the rest of the team's veterans.
"He's more of the, 'I'd rather just get rid of the cell phones and have more one-on-one communication,' but it's hard nowadays.," Kelly said, referring to the Crimson Tide's newest addition at quarterback. "He's not a big fan of technology.
"He's a real down-to-earth guy. He's one of my friends now."
Coker's been on campus for nearly three months, but there is still some new-guy "apprehension," Alabama coach Nick Saban said Sunday. That's understandable, considering Coker enrolled weeks before the rest of Alabama's 2014 class and is three years older than the majority of the Crimson Tide's newest faces.
That's why Kelly and Vogler embraced Coker long before they were required to room together at the start of camp.
"You never want to see a guy that's a really good player, you don't want to see him by himself and not be happy," Kelly said. "Those guys kind of end up leaving your program. If there's anything we can do to help him feel more comfortable and build more relationships with him, we're going to do that. It's been good so far."
The past few days have been encouraging, said Kelly, who wasn't sure how it was decided that he'd be Coker's roommate. He's seen a difference in Coker's demeanor on and off the field.
"I think he's starting to feel the community and family we have here at Alabama," Kelly said. "Sometimes that can be hard transferring from somewhere and not really knowing anybody. He's from this state and I think he's starting to feel a little bit more comfortable here."
The relationship between a center and quarterback is one of the most important on the field. As roommates Barrett Jones and AJ McCarron showed in 2012, it goes far beyond snap exchanges and can become brotherly.
Kelly, who has a true freshman during Alabama's last quarterback competition, said he's working with all of the signal-callers at points during camp as a way to "standardize" the exchanges. It's impossible for Kelly to craft relationships with all of the quarterbacks in the way he's been able to with Coker and senior Blake Sims, the most experienced of the group, but the effort is being made whenever time permits.
"Everybody's competing," Kelly said. "It's not like no one wants the job. It's going to take time to see who's going to end up getting it.
"It's only Day 3. I'm sure by Day 14 or Day 15 it will probably change. For right now, they're all just working hard."
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Alabama center Ryan Kelly does, too. Only recently did he cave and buy an iPhone after realizing a flip phone wasn't going to cut it anymore.
Perhaps that's why they've bonded quickly through the first day of camp as roommates together at Bryant Hall. Senior tight end Brian Vogler completes the trio, which resides on the first floor with the rest of the team's veterans.
"He's more of the, 'I'd rather just get rid of the cell phones and have more one-on-one communication,' but it's hard nowadays.," Kelly said, referring to the Crimson Tide's newest addition at quarterback. "He's not a big fan of technology.
"He's a real down-to-earth guy. He's one of my friends now."
Coker's been on campus for nearly three months, but there is still some new-guy "apprehension," Alabama coach Nick Saban said Sunday. That's understandable, considering Coker enrolled weeks before the rest of Alabama's 2014 class and is three years older than the majority of the Crimson Tide's newest faces.
That's why Kelly and Vogler embraced Coker long before they were required to room together at the start of camp.
"You never want to see a guy that's a really good player, you don't want to see him by himself and not be happy," Kelly said. "Those guys kind of end up leaving your program. If there's anything we can do to help him feel more comfortable and build more relationships with him, we're going to do that. It's been good so far."
The past few days have been encouraging, said Kelly, who wasn't sure how it was decided that he'd be Coker's roommate. He's seen a difference in Coker's demeanor on and off the field.
"I think he's starting to feel the community and family we have here at Alabama," Kelly said. "Sometimes that can be hard transferring from somewhere and not really knowing anybody. He's from this state and I think he's starting to feel a little bit more comfortable here."
The relationship between a center and quarterback is one of the most important on the field. As roommates Barrett Jones and AJ McCarron showed in 2012, it goes far beyond snap exchanges and can become brotherly.
Kelly, who has a true freshman during Alabama's last quarterback competition, said he's working with all of the signal-callers at points during camp as a way to "standardize" the exchanges. It's impossible for Kelly to craft relationships with all of the quarterbacks in the way he's been able to with Coker and senior Blake Sims, the most experienced of the group, but the effort is being made whenever time permits.
"Everybody's competing," Kelly said. "It's not like no one wants the job. It's going to take time to see who's going to end up getting it.
"It's only Day 3. I'm sure by Day 14 or Day 15 it will probably change. For right now, they're all just working hard."
Continue reading...
