50
Shout out to my teammates Rob Roberts and Chris Robinette for proudly wearing the number 50.
Today we salute #50 Alphonse Taylor from Davidson of Mobile Al.
... Everyone, it seems, has a nickname in Alabama's locker room. Few become public personas, known by fans or used by Nick Saban as the only identifier in a news conference.
Meet Shank.
His given name is Alphonse Taylor, Alabama's starting right guard. Somehow the fun-loving offensive lineman got the moniker of a crude prison weapon. How'd that happen?
"I've had that nickname since park-league football, I'm talking like 10-years-old," Taylor said. "My park-league coach gave me that name. I've never understood it, really. It just stuck with me all the way until now."
Well, Shank came to Alabama as a big kid back in 2012. On National Signing Day, the 6-foot-6 nose tackle said he weighed 360 pounds. On Tuesday, he said the weight was more like 385 pounds.
Either way, he was getting a heavy dose of Alabama strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran. Back in February 2012, Shank's called the routine the "craziest workouts ever."
The first day was rough.
Honestly, I almost died. But since then it's been great, it's been fun. I'm just enjoying the experience because if you look at 'Oh man, I gotta come in and work out every day,' you're not going to survive. You have to look at it, 'I have another day to get better. I have another chance to improve myself.' That's how I started looking at it from day one."
Move ahead three years and Shank's well established on the offensive line. He's started all six games this season and weighs a more healthy 325 pounds. Cochran's workouts aren't so bad now that he's a veteran.
"Uh, I love it now," Shank said. "It's all a part of the process. You just had to buy into it. Like, coming in as a freshman, that's just something new to you. It's something new to your body. It's something that you had to adapt to. And now I'm adapted to it. It's a part of my process, it's something I've bought into. And I'm all about the bigger, faster stronger. I'm all about the 'Bama way, so I'm really into it now."