ESPN REPORT: Kalen DeBoer just announce an unexpected departure of a significant player

Alabama football picked up some offensive line help through the transfer portal on Saturday. Former Michigan State interior offensive lineman Geno VanDeMark committed to the Crimson Tide for next season.

The 6-foot-5, 325-pound offensive guard played for Alabama offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic at Michigan State. He’ll have two years of eligibility remaining in Tuscaloosa.

The offensive line is a spot Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer pointed to as an area of need before the spring transfer portal window began.

“Offensive line, we’re probably a guy short,” DeBoer said. “Just from the numbers that you typically would see and also where we want to be.”

The Crimson Tide already added a tackle commitment in the spring portal, bringing back a familiar face in Kadyn Proctor. The starting left tackle for UA last season, Proctor had transferred to Iowa, but decided to head back to Tuscaloosa after a brief stint with the Hawkeyes.

The interior offensive line lost a member during the spring window, when James Brockermeyer committed to TCU. Brockermeyer was competing with Washington transfer Parker Brailsford for the center job.

Brailsford wasn’t practicing during much of spring football, due to an unspecified non-injury or punishment issue. On Wednesday, DeBoer said he’d be back in uniform this fall.

“No question,” DeBoer said, speaking before playing the Regions Tradition Celebrity Pro-Am golf event.

VanDeMark adds valuable experience to an extremely young position group. He started six games for the Spartans last season, and could slot in as a key depth piece with the Crimson Tide.

The New Jersey native was a three-star prospect in the class of 2021 according to the 247Sports composite. The service ranked him as the No. 29 interior offensive lineman in his class.

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