Dalvin Tomlinson Feels Like He’s Back at Bama With New Coach

Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson revealed in an interview with Jim Rome on Monday that his new defensive coordinator, Ed Donatell, has him feeling like he's "back at Alabama." Tomlinson attributed this to the high energy that new Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell brings to practice, how excited his teammates are to get to work, and his transition back to a 3-4 defense.

"Just the positive vibes coach KO (Kevin O'Connell) brings to the building and everything and just seeing everybody super excited to come to work everyday, happy, just excited for the most part. It's super energetic," Tomlinson said when asked what the atmosphere in Minneapolis was like.

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Further fueling his feelings of being back in Tuscaloosa is a reunion with defensive line coach Chris Rumph, the defensive line coach at Alabama from 2011-2013, which included Tomlinson's freshman and redshirt freshman year's.

"It's been great working with (Donatell and Rumph). You know, 3-4 defense feels kinda like I'm back at Alabama a little bit, playing defensive end a little bit like I used to. And it's been super amazing. Reconnecting with Coach Rumph has been great, bringing back old memories of Alabama."

In Tomlinson's four seasons with the Crimson Tide, he played in 38 games and totaled 122 tackles and 4 sacks while sharing playing time with the likes of Jarran Reed, A'Shawn Robinson, and Jonathan Allen.