The Alabama offensive line should take another step forward in 2025. After being a weakness in 2023, there was improvement in 2024, but there's another step the unit can take into the upper echelon of college football. There's a reason there has been talk of the Joe Moore Award, which is given annually to the No. 1 offensive line in the country.
Star LT Kadyn Proctor shot that talk down at SEC Media Days, but he's a leading reason for it. Proctor is widely thought of as one of the top left tackles in the country and is expected to be one of the first players taken in the 2026 NFL Draft, regardless of position.
C Parker Brailsford and RG Jaeden Roberts return as multi-year starters as well. Brailsford remains one of the most underrated players in college football and has All-American and Rimington Award potential. Roberts is finally healthy after spending most of last season gutting out an injury, and is a freak of nature in the weight room.
Alabama will have to fill a major void left at LG with Tyler Booker going pro a year early, but they have two strong options in Texas A&M transfer Kam Dewberry and veteran Geno VanDeMark, who filled in at every interior position a year ago. At RT, Wilkin Formby is expected to take a major step forward after early struggles last season that led to him being benched in favor of Elijah Pritchett, who likewise struggled and ultimately transferred to Nebraska.
It should be a good starting five, one that stacks up with any other team in the nation. But the concern comes with the depth, particularly at tackle.
Alabama can't afford injuries on the OL, especially at tackle
Alabama probably has enough depth on the interior of the OL to withstand an injury. If Dewberry starts at LG, VanDeMark is good enough to fill in at any of the interior positions without the Crimson Tide missing much of a beat. There's also veteran Roq Montgomery, who is in his third season in the program, and 5-star true freshman Michael Carroll, who Alabama would prefer to have as a depth piece in year one as he learns and develops, but who could play in a pinch.
The bigger concern is at tackle. Proctor should be elite, and Formby should settle in better in his third season, but behind them are a lot of question marks.
One of Alabama's top backups at tackle is Arkel Anugwom, a transfer from Ball State. He only started one game there last year and is expected to be a long-term project in the Crimson Tide's program. Kalen DeBoer hopes Anugwom does not have to play next season.
Otherwise, Alabama could be at the mercy of a couple of true freshmen: Carroll cross-trained at tackle in the spring, and fellow true freshman Jackson Lloyd was rated as a Top 50 overall recruit in the 2025 class.
Redshirt sophomore Olaus Alinen spent time at tackle during spring practice, too, and could be called in to action with a single injury.
One of OL coach Chris Kapilovic's top priorities in fall camp should be to develop depth, particularly at tackle, to prevent one single injury from tanking the entire season.