Former Alabama standout offensive lineman Emil Ekiyor Jr. was named the quality control assistant for the Georgia Tech offensive line on Friday.

Ekiyor will serve under Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key, who was the Crimson Tide’s offensive line coach from 2016-18. Key’s final year in Tuscaloosa was Ekiyor’s first as a freshman.

Ekiyor played in 53 games with 40 starts at guard over his five seasons at Alabama. A three-year starter, he was named to the All-SEC First Team as a senior in 2022 and signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2023. However, he was waived by Indianapolis a couple of months after he signed there.

After parting ways with the Colts, Ekiyor worked as a life health insurance agent. Additionally, he was very active in the community as he founded The Chase, an organization to empower youth and young professionals in the U.S. and Sub-Saharan Africa by developing coaching and mentoring programs focused on success mindset, positive habit formation and financial literacy.

January 25, 1943: Official receipts from the 1943 Orange Bowl, won by Alabama 37-21 over Boston College, showed that 26,166 fans paid $106,700 to view the game. The teams were expected to receive $43,680 each for their appearance. – Bryant Museum

January 25, 1982: Cornelius Wortham was born in Calhoun City, Miss.

January 25, 1987: Andre Smith was born in Birmingham, Ala.

“We were in the first meeting with Coach Bryant and he told us in four years if we believed in his plan and dedicated ourselves to being the best we could be we would be national champions. He was right.”

– Billy Neighbors