One of the more under-the-radar storylines heading into next week’s BCS championship game between Alabama and Notre Dame is the status of one of the top offensive linemen in the country.
Barrett Jones suffered a foot injury in the Tide’s SEC championship game win over Georgia Dec. 1 and had not practiced since. That changed Tuesday afternoon as Jones returned to practice with his Tide teammates in the run-up to what will be UA’s third BCS title-game appearance in four years.
Jones had missed all nine of the Tide’s postseason workouts because of the sprained foot. There’s no official word yet, though, on Jones’ availability for the Jan. 7 game against the Irish.
After moving to center this season from left tackle, Jones was named to numerous postseason All-American teams after starting every game for the SEC champs.