One of the most divisive topics among Alabama fans last season was the coaching staff's insistence on rotating bodies up front on the offensive line instead of just settling on the best five-man group and letting them rock-and-roll.
That divisiveness was even in the locker room, with last year's LT Kadyn Proctor making his opinion on the subject known in the media.
Alabama's struggles up front last season only served to exacerbate fan frustration.
It appears that offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb has finally seen the light.
When asked after Thursday's practice whether the Crimson Tide planned to rotate guys up front again this season or if they were focused on finding the best five, Grubb gave his typically blunt and direct answer.
"Best five. Best five," Grubb said. "Now, there’s injuries; guys gotta move in and out, things like that, but certainly wanna get the gel right right away.”
Alabama is ditching the OL rotation and focusing on the 'best five' according to OC Ryan Grubb
In determining the best five, Alabama appears to already have three of them ready to go. Returning starter Michael Carroll is kicking inside to guard, barring something unforeseen, and then his 2025 classmate Jackson Lloyd has a stranglehold on the LT position. Cal Poly transfer Racin Delgatty appears to be the guy at center.
There's legitimate competition at both LG and RT.
AT LG, while Will Sanders is viewed as the favorite publicly, sophomore Mal Waldrep has generated significant buzz since the spring. He's a player that the staff is high on, and he's making a legitimate push to take the job. Grubb was highly complimentary of Waldrep on Thursday.
"He's tough, smart, he's an excellent communicator," Grubb said. "Really done a nice job, so I think it's gonna be a heck of a battle there."
At RT, the battle is between a pair of transfers: Mississippi State's Jayvin James and Texas' Nick Brooks. Brooks has earned praise for his athleticism at his size, and he's worked hard to shed some weight that caused him issues last season in Austin as a true freshman thrust into early action. James has earned praise for his football acumen, and Grubb highlighted him as one of Alabama's most "savvy" players.
In conjunction with new OL coach Adrian Klemm and Kalen DeBoer, Grubb and company will look to determine the best combination up front well before the season opener against East Carolina. They want this group to have as much time to gel together as they possibly can. They understand the importance, particularly with a group that will include four new starters.
Abandoning the rotation is music to the ears of frustrated Alabama fans who spent last season complaining about it. Whether that's the ticket that will allow the Crimson Tide to take a step forward or not remains to be seen. It's nice to hear it in fall camp, but the proof will be with the product on the field when the season kicks off next month.
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