Under first-year OL coach Chris Kapilovic, Alabama football's offensive line was improved in 2024 from where it was in 2023, but it was still far from the dominant units from the peak of the Nick Saban era in Tuscaloosa. Improvement up front is paramount to the Crimson Tide's offensive success in 2025, especially with breaking in a new, inexperienced quarterback.
Alabama won't be short on talent up front. Heading into the spring, three of the five positions on the offensive line feel spoken for.
LT Kadyn Proctor and C Parker Brailsford are entrenched as starters. Both will be on preseason watchlists and All-American teams. Proctor will be considered one of the top prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft at any position. There might not be a better interior offensive lineman in the country than Brailsford. If you're putting money down this early on the Rimington winner, you could do a lot worse.
Brailsford isn't the most physically imposing player, but he knows how to use leverage and how to move his man from point A to point B. Proctor is the exact opposite in that he is one of the most physically imposing players in the country. He improved drastically as a sophomore, and a similar leap as a junior should turn him into one of the best left tackles in the country.
A healthy Jaedan Roberts should lock down the right guard spot. He was outstanding in 2023 but battled injuries and inconsistency as a result last season. He played through several different injuries so having him healthy again will be big for the Crimson Tide up front. I would expect that they take it lightly with Roberts during the spring.
Alabama will have at least two new starters on the offensive line
Alabama will be replacing starters at both left guard and right tackle. Tyler Booker decided to forego his remaining year of eligibility and enter the 2025 NFL Draft leaving a big hole at left guard. RT Elijah Pritchett transferred to Nebraska in a move that will likely be mutually beneficial. He started all but one game last season for Alabama but was one of the lowest graded offensive tackles in the country.
Rising redshirt sophomore Wilkin Formby would seem to have the inside track at right tackle. He started the first two games of the season for Alabama before he was replaced by Pritchett in the fourth quarter of the USF games after some serious struggles.
Formby is a capable player and entering his third year in the program he should be more ready to play next season. But holding onto that job won't be easy. Early word is that 4-star incoming freshman Jackson Lloyd has been turning heads and he'll likely compete immediately for playing time.
Redshirt sophomore Olaus Alinen and Ball State transfer Arkel Anugwom will try to push for playing time as well.
Depth at tackle is a bit concerning. Alabama figures to be an injury away from either Proctor or Formby from being both really thin and really inexperienced. Holding on to depth on the offensive line is difficult in the portal era. That's why Kapilovic and company took a swing on Anugwom; he gained a little bit of experience as a freshman with Ball State and has the measurables that they think they can mold into a productive player down the road. If he has to play in 2025, something went wrong.
Alabama's options at left guard would seemingly provide a little more confidence. Texas A&M transfer Kam Dewberry would figure to have the inside track; they recruited him out of the portal for a reason. But Michigan State transfer Geno VanDeMark spent last season as the Tide's sixth man up front and rotated all the inside positions. He'll be looking to compete for Booker's vacant spot and won't give it up easy.
Incoming freshman Michael Carroll is a 5-star prospect who has the pedigree to play right away. He's eerily similar as a player to Booker and in the very least he'll make the upperclassmen better.
Roq Montgomery is another interior lineman who could push for playing time at guard. He's likely the backup at center to Brailsford, but he has the right mentality and could be a leader on this team. If you're looking for a wildcard to start next season on the line, Montgomery is probably the guy.
Overall, Alabama has the talent to be improved next season up front. But depth is a question mark. Depth is likely a question mark for every offensive line in the country. A lot of the starting caliber players are starting somewhere. Not many guys are willing to wait their turn anymore.
Alabama will use the spring to continue to develop some of the younger guys. It will be paramount to the Crimson Tide's success next season to have some of the younger guys ready to play. Guys like Casey Poe, Joseph Ionata, and William Sanders entering their second year in the program.
The last thing a new QB needs is to not trust his offensive line. Whoever wins that job will have enough on their plate already; they can't afford anything extra.