Alabama offensive lineman fans wanted benched graded out elite vs. Georgia, per PFF

Wilkin Formby has frequently drawn the ire of Alabama fans the last two seasons. He began last season as the Tide's starting RT, but was benched due to struggles with penalties and protection against USF. He didn't start the rest of the season, but still played significant snaps.

Heading into the 2025 season, he was the unquestioned starter at RT. The struggles have continued, though not as glaringly as they were a year ago. He has had trouble locking down the RT job fully and has split time in recent weeks with freshman Michael Carroll.

Alabama fans have been calling for Carroll to replace Formby full-time at right tackle for a couple of weeks now. Much to their chagrin, Formby started on Saturday night in Athens. And according to PFF, that was clearly the correct decision as Formby put on a career-best pass-blocking performance. He was the highest-graded offensive lineman in the country in Week 5 in terms of pass blocking:

Formby helped key an impressive performance from the Alabama offensive line against the Georgia pass rush. Kalen DeBoer still chose to rotate guys on the offensive line - and they still struggled to get much of a push in the run game - but Simpson was kept upright all night. He was not sacked, and Alabama only surrendered two total pressures.

Alabama may have stumbled upon an unlikely OL combination and unlocked Formby's potential

Formby only sat for seven total snaps on Saturday night despite the rotation. He played 72 of 79 offensive snaps, but not all of them were at tackle. There were times in the second half that Formby slid down to right guard, and Carroll played right tackle next to him. That was a surprise, but also could be a money combination for the Crimson Tide, particularly in pass blocking.

It doesn't look like the rotation up front is going to end, despite Kadyn Proctor's urging. DeBoer, OC Ryan Grubb, and OL coach Chris Kapilovic are clearly comfortable with it. It keeps bodies fresh and allows guys who are on the same level to play.

The only guys not rotating at all are Kadyn Proctor at left tackle and Parker Brailsford at center. The other three spots will continue to see rotation. Alabama played nine offensive linemen against Georgia, though freshman Jackson Lloyd typically came in only as a sixth offensive lineman. Redshirt freshman William Sanders got significant playing time at left guard in relief of Kam Dewberry.

Your mileage may vary on rotating offensive linemen - it's certainly not a common practice - but it's hard to argue with the results Alabama got on Saturday.