Jaheim Oatis in walking boot during pregame vs. USF

It appears Alabama defensive lineman Jaheim Oatis won’t play against South Florida, per BamaOnline’s Charlie Potter. The former nose guard moved to defensive end this fall.

“Alabama DL Jaheim Oatis is not in warmup clothes like the rest of the Tide players and is wearing a walking boot on his left foot,” Potter wrote on Twitter.

With Alabama at 1-1 on the season, a key part of the defensive line is reportedly not available against the Bulls.

While the Crimson Tide are favored on the road in Tampa, losing Oatis could be a big blow if he’s out for any significant amount of time.

With the switch to defensive end, Oatis was honest about his performance in the season opener.

“I think I played pretty good first time coming to the defensive end,” Oatis said, via BamaOnline. “Still learning the techniques and the plays, but other than that, I think it’s going pretty good.

“I’m just trying something new. Just trying a new position, trying to learn the whole D-line and trying to work on technique in different spots, technique from the outside to the inside.”

So far this season, Oatis has seven total tackles, four solo tackles and one pass deflection. As a freshman last fall, Oatis finished with 29 total tackles, 10 solo tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and two pass deflections.

As a member of the Class of 2022, Oatis was a four-star recruit out of Columbia (Miss.) High, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 2 overall prospect in the state, the No. 11 defensive lineman in the class and the No. 77 overall prospect in the class.

“Jaheim Oatis at Alabama,” On3’s Andy Staples said this summer when he named his most impactful non-quarterback players this season. “A big guy who came in even bigger. He came in at 400 pounds. He slimmed down to about 330 lbs. I think he’s even lighter now. But he’s gotten great grades. He’s played well. Like he seems to be everything they were hoping he would be. And he is just that dominant force in the middle.

“Remember, just because Will Anderson‘s gone doesn’t mean Alabama is not going to have a pass rush. They’ve still got Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell. And now you have this monster in the middle. I’m just, I’m very excited to see how he can make the leap from year one to year two because I think he’s going to be really good.”