By BY BRUCE HIXON – SPORTS EDITOR
Trent Davidson is still going to school at the University of Alabama, and he is still involved with football.
Davidson's role with the sport is now a far different one than the one he had when he left for Tuscaloosa after graduation from T.R. Miller High School in 2004.
Davidson is in a voluntary assistant coach role with Collins-Riverside Middle School, where he oversees that program's offensive and defensive linemen along with tight ends. He is also serving as special teams coordinator.
Davidson made a quick impact at Alabama in the 2004 season, where he appeared in all 12 of the Crimson Tide's games that season. Those appearances included starting assignments in the regular season finale against Auburn and the Music City Bowl game against Minnesota.
It turned out to be Davidson's last on-the-field competition at Alabama. Davidson broke the fifth metatarsal in his right foot prior to his sophomore season and sat out the entire 2005 campaign as a redshirt.
Davidson had hoped to return to competition last year. Former Alabama head coach Mike Shula and his staff opted to move Davidson from his high school and previous college position of tight end to offensive tackle.
Davidson's comeback trail ended when a lower back injury that involved double stress fractures recurred. A consensus by team and private physicians along with the Alabama coaching staff agreed Davidson was unable to continue playing football. However, Davidson received a football medical exemption waiver that left all parts of his scholarship at Alabama intact.
Despite those setbacks, Davidson is happy to have his current role in football.
Davidson found out about the position at Collins-Riverside position through a school community service project program along with the aid of former T.R. Miller High School student Jonathan Salter.
time it's kids who aren't necessarily in the starting lineup,”
Davidson said. &#8220From an offensive end, I try to teach the players to come off the ball, work on their technique and pad level. We also emphasize safety. Some of the biggest things I'm trying to emphasize with our defensive players is gap control and not to overplay the ball. We work a lot with our stunts.”
Davidson emphasizes a lot of things he learned from T.R. Miller head coach Jamie Riggs.
While Davidson, who made the President's List at Alabama this past spring, is enjoying helping out in the coaching ranks, he said that is probably not the direction he will pursue once he leaves college.