Nick Saban explains depth chart decision on Jaheim Oatis, how he got there

Ahead of Alabama‘s season opener against Utah State, Nick Saban released the Crimson Tide depth chart, which saw true freshman Jaheim Oatis named a co-starter with senior DJ Dale at nose tackle. According to Saban, it was a no-brainer decision based on his size and strength.

“Well, look, the first thing about being a good defensive lineman at whatever position you play is you need to be hard to block,” Saban said. “So if I was gonna say something simple without getting too technical, I would say he was hard to block. And if he can continue to not make mental errors and understand exactly what his role is up front, I think he can make a significant contribution in playing. How do you compare one player to another?

“I don’t really think, you know, they both play the same position. We have the same expectation for what they need to do at that position. And you know, both guys are capable of doing it well, so I don’t think comparing players is really a fair thing for me to try to do.”

Oatis was a four-star player who, in the On3 Consensus, ranked as the No. 81 overall prospect, No. 11 defensive lineman and No. 2 player from the state of Mississippi. Prior to committing back in April of 2021, Oatis had held his offer from Alabama since his eighth-grade football season.

Once sitting at 416 pounds, Oatis was 342 with just over a month remaining until his true freshman season, and has lost even more weight since. Over 75 pounds shed in college football’s Mecca will have anyone take notice. Despite his size, he was a highly-touted defensive lineman out of hight school and many schools vied for his services.

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After being rated as a top-100 prospect coming out of Columbia High School in Mississippi, the 6-foot-5, 330-plus pound interior defensive lineman is now set to add depth to the Crimson Tide’s defensive front, and is now rated as a co-starter on the Crimson Tide depth chart at nose guard as a true freshman despite a litany of upperclassman talent in front of him.