Joe Moore Award Winner Shares Thoughts on New Tide Staff

Mobile, AL. - Similar to Michael Penix Jr., Roger Rosengarten, former Washington offensive tackle, embraced DeBoer following the practice and spoke highly of the new Crimson Tide staff.

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Rosengarten was a starting member of the Joe Moore Award winning offensive line, the award presented to the best offensive line in the country.

Kalen DeBoer brought the entire Washington offensive staff with him to Alabama, including offensive line coach Scott Huff, who coached Rosengarten and new Alabama transfer Parker Brailsford.

Rosengarten spoke highly of Huff, "Huff brings a standard. That standard is held high. His main thing is that you have to play to that standard. If it drops below, it's not going to be good enough. You can't win ball games with that."

Should Alabama fans be worried about the physicality differences between the Pac-12 and the SEC? Rosengarten doesn't think so.

I go back to that Joe Moore Award. We were competing with the finalists, there were a couple SEC teams in that award list. They were very deserving of being finalists, but when it all came down and was said and done, last year we played the hardest. We were fundamentally and technically sound, and I didn't think that there was any doubt that we should've won that award. When Huff goes down to play that SEC ball, it's the same standard. As long as you play hard, good results will happen.

Scott Huff recruited and maintained Rosengarten for the entirety of his Washington career. It takes an individual who is great at building relationships to maintain across three different coaching regimes.

[Huff] is a really likable guy off the field. I can tell him anything. If I'm having problems off the field or on the field, he's going to be the first one to give you advice, and he's even better on the field. He's one of, if not the best, coaches. In my opinion, he's the best offensive line coach in the country. He's well deserving of all the jobs that he's been offered.

Rosengarten spoke of the same standard in regards to DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb,

High standard, just like Coach Huff does. It all starts with Coach Grubb. He implements that high standard,;he'll let you know about it too. If you're slacking, he'll call it out in the meeting. He'll make sure it gets said. It's that high standard he sets. He doesn't let little details slide by him. That's the level it takes to be a national champion.

How did Rosengarten hear Coach DeBoer was accepting the Alabama job?

It kind of was all winding down on the fingertips of my phone. I was training in California when I was seeing it all go down. When you get the flagship program like Alabama, it's kind of hard to turn down. CoachDeBoer's human too, he's looking out for his best interest too. It just sucks that that's kind of the world of college football. When you leave, things unfold the way you dont want them to. I saw him today and gave him a big hug; I hadn't seen him in a while.

This is not the first time DeBoer has taken over as head coach of a new program. At the D1 level, DeBoer coached Fresno State and Washinton before he arrived in Tuscaloosa. What does he do well when he arrives at a new job?

The first thing I noticed was how well he commanded the room. He also coached his assistant coaches, all the other coaches he had, he held them to a super high standard. That obviously trickled down to the players. So he just does a great job with his staff. It's a tight run ship. There's no loose leaf or cutting corners because that's when you get in trouble with certain things.

Rosengarten echoed what Penix said about DeBoer's offense,

I don't doubt that they'll be able to pick up down there in Tuscaloosa. It's easy to pick up, although it seems complex at first, learning a new scheme. It's kind of like learning how to ride a bike when you were younger. You get up quick, and once you get it, it's rolling.

Rosengarten also talked highly of Alabama's Washington transfers,

[Austin Mack and Germie Bernard] are great players. Mack came into the program when he was 16 years old, so he's seen high level quarterback play, especially when you have a Heisman level candidate quarterback. You've seen the best of the best at quarterback and being his understudy helps. Mack's going to be a great player, and same with Germie. You saw flashes of it in the Michigan State game when he scored the first touchdown against his oldschool. That guy is a playmaker. You can put him anywhere on the field, it doesn't matter for that guy. He'll make a play.

Is DeBoer laid back in comparison to Nick Saban, or can he bring the heat?

Oh for sure. Any college football coach, I feel, can reign fire. You guys don't see it much, but it's either in the offensive staff room, or team offense, or when we're in a meeting. It's going to be Grubb, Huff, or DeBoer. Anyone can get on anyone at any time, they all have their moments.