On3 Roundtable: Insiders 'really optimistic' about Alabama's offensive line in 2023

There’s all kinds of intrigue surround Alabama’s upcoming roster this fall. Still, while there’s a lot to still figure out down in Tuscaloosa, BamaOnline’s Jimmy Stein is becoming less and less concerned about the offensive line.

Stein spoke about the Crimson Tide’s offensive line with Clint Lamb in a recent edition of the ‘On3 Roundtable’. He said that, at this point, he believes Nick Saban and his staff feel comfortable with seven options with four as near locks to be starters next season

“(I’m) really optimistic about those guys. I think there’s seven guys. And that’s not a lot. You would like for there to be more. But I think the staff is confident, to some extent or another, in up to seven players,” Stein said. “Four are, just to me, set in stone in JC Latham at right tackle, Tyler Booker at right guard, Seth McLaughlin at center, (and) Darrian Dalcourt at left guard. I think those guys, at least at the beginning of the season, are pretty set.”

From there, Stein talked about that last tackle spot on the left side. He pointed out how Elijah Pritchett manned that spot during that spring but listed both Kadyn Proctor and TJ Ferguson as options who could also earn and see time at that position.

“I’m interested to see what might happen at left tackle. Elijah Pritchett was the left tackle throughout spring practice. He did a really good job, A-Day was sort of a bit of a struggle for him,” continued Stein. “That might have opened the door, maybe, for a true freshman like Kadyn Proctor, who has just immense talent, seems to have caught onto things quickly. So Proctor is trying to get into the lineup, maybe at left tackle, maybe at left guard.”

“I also think TJ Ferguson is kind of a seventh guy, someone the staff would have a lot of confidence in if, for whatever reason, Ferguson had to play,” said Stein. “Maybe Ferguson even pushes Dalcourt at left guard. That wouldn’t surprise me.”

In 13 games last year, Alabama allowed 22 sacks for an average of 1.7 per game. That was still good for Top-50 in the country but, once you add all these players together in 2023, Stein thinks this could come close to being ‘Bama’s best offensive line in this decade.

“Between those seven guys, I think this will be Alabama’s best offensive line since 2020. Not as good as 2020. I’m not saying that. But each year has been an improvement from the last since 2020. This is another step forward,” Stein said. “I’m really interested to see what they do, particularly as run blockers. But I really like these seven guys they have to work with.”