Alabama signee Darrian Dalcourt spent his senior season transitioning to his projected college position.

Dalcourt, a 6-foot-3, 290-pound lineman, spent three seasons playing right tackle, but moved to center for his senior season at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Maryland.

“Honestly, it was one of the most difficult things I had to go through in my football career -- going from tackle where you’re in open space to center, where everything is condensed,” he said at the Under Armour All-American Game in Orlando, Florida. “You’re the leader of the line. It was a hard position for me, but my teammates helped me get through it and I ended up really excelling at it.”

What was the biggest adjustment for Dalcourt?

"The No. 1 difference is it's a lot harder to have power off the line," he said. "When you're playing tackle, you're usually not in a neutral stance, (and) your foot is back so you have something you push off of. When you're at center, both feet are forward and you first have to worry about snapping, which is a lot harder than people know.

"You have to snap and shoot your left hand first," he continued, "because your right hand is snapping, and then connect with the right hand while your feet are shifting. It's hard not to take a neutral step back instead of going forward."

Alabama signed 23 players during college football’s early signing period, including four other offensive linemen -- Hewitt-Trussville’s Pierce Quick, Thompson’s Amari Kight and IMG Academy (Fla.)'s Evan Neal and Glasgow (Ken.)'s Tanner Bowles. The Crimson Tide could also still land Darnell Wright, the nation’s No. 1-ranked offensive tackle from Huntington, West Virginia.

Dalcourt is Alabama’s lowest ranked non-kicker in the Class of 2019, but his high school switch to center -- where he spent a full season perfecting a shotgun snap in real games -- gives Alabama a clear, if underrated, recruiting win. Most elite high school offensive linemen play tackle and making the switch to center in college can be daunting.

Dalcourt, a four-star prospect, is an early enrollee and will participate in spring practice, meaning he could be in the mix to replace graduating center Ross Pierschbacher, a First Team All-SEC selection by the Associated Press.

Dalcourt committed in August 2018 and never wavered on his commitment, although he said he was disappointed when offensive coordinator Mike Locksley -- his primary recruiter -- accepted the head coaching job at Maryland.

"You've got to respect his move," Dalcourt said. "He's doing it for a decision for his family. At the end of the day, I respect that, but it was hard to lose somebody I was so close with."

Alabama DB signee Jordan Battle explains 11th-hour flip from Ohio State:



"The big decision between those two schools was the coaching change, of course," Battle said, later clarifying he likely would have signed with Ohio State had Urban Meyer stayed. https://t.co/sF2X84alvM pic.twitter.com/jACwef2QvJ — AL.com (@aldotcom) January 3, 2019

What ultimately made Dalcourt choose Alabama and stick with the Tide, even after Locksley's decision to leave?

"I wanted to be part of the best team in the country," he said. "I feel like it's tradition for me. I'm part of one of the best teams in the country in high school right now, and I wanted to carry on that tradition. I felt like the coaches there fit me. Everybody there fights for everything you get, and I like that."

Dalcourt and fellow linebacker signee Shane Lee played at St. Frances Academy, the nation’s oldest continually operating African-American Catholic high school. The football program finished 13-0 and ranked No. 4 nationally by USA Today in 2017 and then switched to a national schedule in 2018 when its conference opponents refused to play the Panthers. St. Frances went 9-0 on the field, winning by a combined score of 477-32.

Just before Early Signing Day, Alabama coach Nick Saban and co-offensive coordinator/receivers coach Josh Gattis visited Dalcourt at his high school and delivered a simple message.

“There’s no guarantees you’re going to play,” Dalcourt said. “The message to me was, you come down there and earn a spot.”