Last season's Alabama team was too much talk, not enough action. This year's team is looking to flip that narrative and get the Crimson Tide back to the standard that made the program the dominant brand in college football.
It's a sentiment Kalen DeBoer shared this week. He complimented his team being "about the action" so far this offseason, something he hopes carries over into fall camp. Star left tackle Kadyn Proctor echoed his coach's thoughts on Wednesday at SEC Media Days.
Alabama's offensive line has gotten a lot of preseason hype. With the return of Proctor, C Parker Brailsford, and RG Jaedan Roberts, Alabama has the core group to be among the best in the nation. It likely comes down to Wilkin Formby's improvement at RT, and if either Texas A&M transfer Kam Dewberry or the returning Geno VanDeMark can fill the big shoes left behind by Tyler Booker.
PFF rated Alabama as the No. 1 offensive line in the preseason. Proctor was asked about that ranking at SEC Media Days, and his response will be music to the ears of Alabama fans:
"We have not proven anything yet, offensive line-wise, to be ranked No. 1 throughout the season. When the Joe Moore comes around, then we'll know. Right now, we're just focused on lifting and running and getting into fall camp and just having the best time of our lives."
Kadyn Proctor's mentality is exactly what Alabama needs
If you ever wanted to watch a team play football that had completely bought into its own hype, turn on the tape from Alabama's game last year against Vanderbilt. A week after beating Georgia and feeling like they were on top of the world, it all came crashing down in Nashville with an embarrassing loss to the Commodores.
This year's team seems not to be taking anything for granted. Proctor was one of three Tide players DeBoer brought with him to SEC Media Days, and the only non-senior. It signals that Proctor is one of the team's leaders, likely to be named a captain in fall camp.
DeBoer gave Proctor a load of compliments in his opening statement in Atlanta on Wednesday. He praised Proctor's work ethic on and off the field and made it known that Proctor, who is entering his true junior season, is set to graduate at the end of this season with a 3.7 GPA.
The kind of show, don't tell mentality was missing on last year's team, and if Proctor has anything to say about it, it won't be missing in 2025.