Why there is no reason to be concerned about the right tackle position
Alabama’s offensive line should be one of the best in college football this season. Along the line, only the right tackle spot is unsettled as Bama gears up to start the 2024 season.
Redshirt sophomore Elijah Pritchett and redshirt freshman Wilkin Formby have competed for the starting role throughout this offseason, but neither player has done enough to separate himself.
Pritchett, who played significant snaps at left tackle last season, also played on the left side in the spring in the absence of Kadyn Proctor. Between him and Formby, Pritchett is the more experienced player but had his struggles in 2023. Elijah Pritchett has continued to cross-train at both tackle spots, while Formby has played exclusively on the right side.
Pritchett was a highly-touted recruit, ranked as a 5-star in the 2022 class per 247Sports. Meanwhile, Formby was a 4-star and a top-100 player in the 2023 cycle per the 247Sports Composite. Though Pritchett is a year older, that advantage was all but erased when an injury cost him nearly his entire first season on campus.
He still remained ahead of Formby in the pecking order last season, competing with Proctor early in the season before falling out of the rotation. An abysmal showing against Arkansas in which Pritchett allowed multiple sacks largely decided that left tackle competition, and he primarily played special teams and mop-up time from then on.
Many fans seemed to forget that Pritchett was essentially just a true freshman himself. As a redshirt frosh who was unable to practice in his redshirt year due to injury, he was being thrown to the wolves just like Proctor. Both players struggled against some of the SEC’s better pass rushers as a result.
How Pritchett responded to that adversity this offseason will determine whether it helped or hindered his development heading into 2024.
Much less is known about Wilkin Formby, who played a grand total of 14 snaps across three already-decided games last season. Still, Formby has been impressive throughout the offseason and into fall camp.
Some Alabama fans have expressed concern over the right tackle position and the fact that it remains undecided even as Week 1 looms. Coach Kalen DeBoer has expressed that the competition will likely last into the season, which may give fans nightmarish reminders of last season’s tackle debacle.
There are several reasons that I am not concerned about this position. Both Pritchett and Formby were highly-ranked recruits that have the ceilings to play in the NFL one day. Of their floors, Coach DeBoer stated that he doesn’t feel that either player is a liability, which was relieving to hear.
Lastly, the first two games of the season should be relatively easy, and should provide the staff with two more weeks of practice and plenty of game reps to find out which player fits best at right tackle.
The cream should rise to the top during these two weeks, and I expect the offensive line to be settled heading into a road showdown with Wisconsin in week three. Whoever wins the job will have a lot of stability surrounding them on the offensive line and should play with a lot of confidence.