TUSCALOOSA -- The change at right guard came as a bit of a surprise Saturday, as converted defensive lineman Korren Kirven started his first game at the position against Mississippi State in place of Lester Cotton and Alphonse Taylor.

Cotton appeared limited in practices before the game but was used on field goal attempts and at right tackle with the second-team offensive line. Following Wednesday’s practice, Nick Saban was asked about Cotton moving back to tackle and the right guard spot.

(Make sure you're in the know by signing up for FREE Alabama newsletter!)

“Lester was a tackle for a long time,” Saban said. “We tried to make him a guard. The development has been maybe not as quickly as we like. So in order to try to get the five-best players on the field, we moved some other players, did some experimenting and Kirven has done a really good job and so did the other guys that play the position.

“So we thought maybe we’d look and see if Lester could develop a little bit better at tackle, but he’s still playing right guard. He probably is gonna get reps at both of those positions.”

Kirven saw majority of the reps at right guard with the first team Tuesday and Wednesday of this week as Alabama gets set to host the Chattanooga Mocs on Saturday. Cotton worked at tackle with the second group both days of open practice.

Enjoy VIP access to BamaOnLine for FREE until Jan. 1, 2017 with this trial.