Alabama Football: Have offensive line woes been resolved?
Alabama Football: Interior O-Line
In theory, the Tide should return its interior offensive line in its entirety. Left guard Javion Cohen returns for his junior season, and multi-year starter Emil Ekiyor Jr. returns on the right side for his redshirt senior campaign. Ekiyor hopes to get healthy and piece together a consistent season to cement himself as a 2023 NFL draftee. Additionally, redshirt sophomore Seth McLaughlin is back in the fold after seizing the starting center position towards the end of the 2021 regular season.
While Cohen, Ekiyor, and McLaughlin were all starters at the end of last season, the line as a whole struggled enough to indicate that no one has a guaranteed spot. Competition will be heated, and all three returnees will have to work to reclaim their respective roles.
Senior Darrian Dalcourt started at center for most of the 2021 season, battling injuries before being replaced by McLaughlin. If he can stay healthy, he will not relinquish the job easily. Redshirt freshman James Brockermeyer could also push for playing time.
At the guard spots, redshirt freshmen Terrence Ferguson and Jaeden Roberts, as well as redshirt junior Tanner Bowles, should provide depth at the very least.
Next. Expect another round of roster remodeling. dark
Alabama football welcomes Eric Wolford as its new offensive line coach. Wolford appears to be a great fit, who led a Kentucky offensive line that was a Joe Moore Award finalist. The Wildcats boasted one of the best rushing attacks in the nation, so conventional wisdom says that Alabama’s own running game should return to form in 2022.