When you hear the word "change," it doesn't necessarily mean that something inherently good or bad is coming. It just ensures that things may be new or different moving forward. For Alabama fans, this way of life is something they may have to grow accustomed to fast, with Kalen DeBoer appearing to be embracing a youth movement alongside the Crimson Tide offensive line in 2026.
That movement starts at the feet of offensive tackle Michael Carroll. Carroll is Alabama's only returning starter upfront from last season after starting five games as a true freshman. The 6-foot-6, 320-pounder now appears to be the vet in the room after seeing both Kadyn Proctor and Parker Brailsford forgo their senior campaigns for the 2026 NFL Draft, and losing veterans Geno VanDeMark and Jaeden Roberts to exhausted eligibility clocks.
These moves, combined with watching five offensive linemen walk away through the Transfer Portal now solidifies Alabama having four new starters upfront this fall. DeBoer and company have since surrounded Carroll with reinforcements, by bringing in ex-Michigan signees Kaden Strayhorn and Ty Haywood from the portal to pair with projected starters Jackson Lloyd and Will Sanders. Strayhorn, Haywood, Lloyd, and Sanders are classified as sophomores.
Michael Carroll embracing a leadership role as the last man left on the Alabama OL
This projected front leaves DeBoer with his most inexperienced offensive line since taking over the reins as head coach in 2024. That notion still hasn't stopped Carroll from embracing a role as leader ahead of his second season in Tuscaloosa.
“I don’t think he expected to be the last one standing,” Mike Carroll, Michael’s father told Tuscaloosa New columnist Collin Gay . “But now that he is, he’s going to embrace that role and lead by example and bring the others along."
Of course, with the transfer portal set to close on Friday, January 16th, it isn't all on Carroll's shoulders. DeBoer, alongside Tide offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic and football GM Courtney Morgan, is still scouring the market for additional talent at the position group.
“Yeah, you’re going to feel a little uneasy,” Mike Carroll said. “But I told (Michael), reassured him that the staff − Courtney Morgan and his staff − (were) going to acquire quality players and put good people around him.”
While their search goes on, Alabama also has redshirt reserves Casey Poe and Mal Waldrep in the stable, alongside five new offensive linemen from their 2026 high school and JUCO recruiting class. Those players being 4-star guard Chris Booker, 4-star Jared Doughty, 4-star Bryson Cooley, 3-star Bear Fretwell, and JUCO signee Tyrell Miller.
Together, this gives DeBoer and Kapilovic 12 players on the offensive front as it stands currently. With Miller being a JUCO transfer, he qualifies as the Tide's oldest classified player at all positions in Alabama's O-Line room if no senior is added through the portal.
Make no mistake, all of these players have talent and size, but their total number of starts at the collegiate level is astonishingly low, having a combined 39 career starts at the FBS level between all 12 linemen combined. It'll be interesting to see how DeBoer and company fare with this group as he prepares himself for a pivotal third season as Alabama football's head coach.