The uncertainty surrounding Alabama’s offensive line in the spring lessened when left tackle Kadyn Proctor decided to transfer back to Alabama and rejoin the program in the summer. The Crimson Tide also returns starters at both guard spots with Tyler Booker on the left side and Jaeden Roberts at right guard. However, there are question marks at both center and right tackle heading into fall camp, which opens up on Wednesday.
Seth McLaughlin transferred to Ohio State after spending two seasons as the Alabama starter at center. Washington’s starting center from last season, Parker Brailsford, followed his head coach Kalen DeBoer from Seattle to Tuscaloosa, and it was assumed that he would take the starting job with the Crimson Tide. However, Brailsford missed most of the spring with a non-football related issue and did not play in A-Day.
James Brockermeyer took the first-team snaps at center throughout the spring, but then transferred to TCU. DeBoer expects Brailsford to be fully back with the team in the fall, and he will likely win the starting center job. Summer transfer Geno VanDeMark, who played under new offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic, could serve as a backup option if Brailsford isn’t ready to go.
Right tackle will be one of the most-watched position battles going into fall camp. JC Latham is off to the NFL with a first-round selection, and someone will have to step up and fill his spot. Redshirt sophomore Elijah Pritchett has the most in-game experience of the options at the position, but redshirt freshmen Wilkin Formby and Miles McVay could also compete for the starting spot.
Alabama finished 129th out of 133 teams in the country with 49 sacks allowed last season. Part of the high number was due to protection issues along the offensive line, while some of the blame went to quarterback Jalen Milroe’s decision making and sometimes holding on to the ball too long. Either way, that number is too high. Alabama moved around pieces on the offensive line in 2023, trying to find the right combination to reduce that number and will be trying to find more consistency this season.
Entering his junior season as a veteran starter, Booker is the undisputed leader on the offensive line and has been taking that role seriously this offseason.
“We have been taking a lot of time to work on our pass protection individually and we have been taking a lot of sets together as well because there was a lot of transition in the offensive line, people were moving around in different spots,” Booker said at SEC Media Days. “So now that we have guys playing next to each other, we have three returning starters and we have been focusing on working together even without the coaches on our free time. That’s how bad we want to be great. That’s how bad we want it and while we did fall short when it came to pass protection last year, we are going to build on our run game.”
Projected Depth Chart
LT: Kadyn Proctor, Wilkin Formby, Naquil Betrand
LG: Tyler Booker, Olaus Alinen, William Sanders
C: Parker Brailsford, Geno VanDeMark, Joseph Ionata
RG: Jaeden Roberts, Roq Montgomery
RT: Elijah Pritchett, Miles McVay, Casey Poe
Casey Poe- Freshman, 6-4, 290 lbs
One of the top interior offensive lineman in the class of 2024 and a unanimous four-star prospect out of Lin dale, Texas. He was selected to play in the Under Armour All-America Game.
Tyler Booker- Junior, 6-5, 352 lbs
Alabama’s returning starter at left guard with 14 career starts under his belt. Booker was named to the 2023 All-SEC team by both the Associated Press and SEC coaches. He was named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week for his play against Ole Miss and was recognized as an offensive player of the week by the coaching staff three times in 2023.
Miles McVay- Redshirt freshman, 6-6, 350 lbs
Appeared in four games in 2023, allowing him to maintain his redshirt status. Came into Alabama as one of the top offensive lineman prospects in the nation. Rated No. 138 on the ESPN300, checking in as the 16th-rated offensive tackle, No. 10 player in the Midwest Region and the No. 2 from the state of Illinois.
Roq Montgomery- Redshirt freshman, 6-3, 332 lbs
Played in two games (Middle Tennessee and Chattanooga) in 2023. He was theNo. 47 interior offensive lineman and No. 21 player in the state of Alabama in the class of 2023 according to 247Sports.
Geno VanDeMark- Redshirt junior, 6-5, 320 lbs
Transferred to Alabama back in May after three seasons at Michigan State. He played in eight games with six starts last season with the Spartans. However, his redshirt sophomore season was riddled by injuries. He played in 10 games with two starts in 2022 after redshirting in 2021.
Elijah Pritchett- Redshirt sophomore, 6-6, 312 lbs
Appeared in all 14 games for Alabama in 2023 after redshirting his first season. Pritchett did not start any games for the Crimson Tide last season, but did see some significant reps at left tackle, rotating with Proctor at times. Pritchett consistently worked on special teams.
Naquil Betrand- Redshirt freshman, 6-6, 340 lbs
Committed to Alabama back in December while Nick Saban was still the head coach after beginning his college career at Texas A&M. He redshirted for the Aggies last season, not appearing in any games. Betrand was a consensus three-star prospect coming out of Northeast High School in Philadelphia.
Joseph Ionata- Freshman, 6-5, 294 lbs
Four-star prospect out of Clearwater, Florida. He was listed as the No. 15 interior offensive lineman, No. 33 player from Florida and No. 262 prospect nationally by On3.
William Sanders- Freshman, 6-3, 290 lbs
Four-star prospect from Brookwood, Alabama less than 30 minutes from the Alabama campus. He participated in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game
Parker Brailsford- Redshirt sophomore, 6-2, 275 lbs
Started all 15 games for Washington in 2023 on the Huskies’ run to the CFP championship game. He earned first team Freshman All-America accolades from the AFCA, FWAA and Pro Football Focus last season. Was part of the Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line. Redshirted his first season at Washington. He was a four-star prospect coming out of high school in Arizona
Olaus Alinen- Redshirt freshman, 6-6, 326 lbs
Played in four games (Middle Tennessee, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Chattanooga), redshirting at the end of the season. Unanimous four-star prospect out of Finland who played his high school football at The Loomis Chaffee School in Connecticut
Kadyn Proctor- Sophomore, 6-7, 360 lbs
Started all 14 games at left tackle as a true freshman for Alabama in 2023. He was a five-star recruit at tackle coming out of high school. Transferred to Iowa in the spring after Nick Saban’s retirement announcement, but then transferred back to Alabama in the summer. Named to the SEC All-Freshman Team by the coaches. Was one of the top-rated offensive tackles in the class of 2023.
Wilkin Formby- Redshirt freshman, 6-7, 320 lbs
Played in three games (Middle Tennessee, Kentucky and Chattanooga) in 2023, maintaining his redshirt. Unanimous four-star prospect out of Northridge High School in Tuscaloosa.
Jaeden Roberts- Redshirt junior, 6-5, 316 lbs
Took over the starting job at right guard in Game 6 at Texas A&M. Roberts started the remainder of the games in 2023. He had his highest-graded performance of the season against Georgia in the SEC Championship game. He only appeared in three games in 2022 and redshirted in 2021 after not playing in any games.
2024 BamaCentral position previews
Defensive backs
Quarterbacks
Defensive line
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Linebackers
Source link : https://www.si.com/college/alabama/football/2024-alabama-crimson-tide-position-preview-offensive-line-01j4069x6xr8
Author :
Publish date : 2024-07-30 07:00:02
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.