Alabama Football: Tide recruiting D-line depth for years to come

Alabama football is focusing more on adding depth to its defense.

Alabama football is over halfway through landing an incredibly talented 2021 recruiting class. They’ve added stars at receiver, the best offensive line group in recruiting history, and plenty of players at key positions. However, they are looking to add depth on the defensive line with the addition of Monkell Goodwine.

Goodwine is a 4-star defensive end who has the potential to start as an upperclassman. He needs time to develop, but he will give the Crimson Tide depth from the day he steps foot onto campus in Tuscaloosa.

Alabama football has already recruited the defensive line aggressively. One of their top recruits so far is Damon Payne, a defensive tackle. We’ve already discussed how important Payne will be for the Crimson Tide, and Goodwine will likely play alongside him as a junior or senior.

You also can add Dallas Turner into the mix as another defensive end. With this much talent in one class, you would think that defensive line is a position where the Tide would be struggling. However, it is one of the deepest positions on the roster for the next few years. Alabama recruited two 5-star defensive ends in the 2020 cycle, and DJ Dale started as a true freshman last year. You also add the fact that Christian Barmore will hopefully play for at least two more years, and you wonder why this is such a concern for Alabama.

Why is Alabama football focusing so much on the D-line class?

First and foremost, you still have to recruit your strengths. You don’t build a dynasty as strong as Alabama’s by relying on just one superstar. You have to add depth, especially on the defensive line.

Also, the Crimson Tide is hoping to go back to their old ways on defense. Fans can remember back when Alabama had one of the deepest front sevens in all of college football. They would switch players depending on the situation and formation, and it was one of Alabama’s greatest defenses.

You also have to simply recruit the talent you have. Unless you are desperate to add players at a specific position, you don’t want to recruit a worse talent just because he has positional value. In the 2021 recruiting class, some of our best prospects also happen to be defensive linemen.

It will be interesting to see if Alabama football continues to land defensive linemen in the 2021 recruiting class.