Alabama football has an offensive line with two fundamental pieces, but question marks surrounding them.
Spring will slowly but surely begin the process for the Crimson Tide to piece together the starting five of their blocking offense this season. The tackle and center are gone. So by default he has three spots up for grabs, but his other two should be easy to predict.
Tyler Booker also returns, as does Jaden Roberts. Both men play the late guard spots and will likely get a chance to do so again. New offensive line coach Chris Kapilovich talked a lot about both, especially Booker. He called his junior the “alpha” of the group.
Now, who will start next to them on either side?
Kapilovic would say center is an opportunity. He hinted as much when talking about James Brockermeyer and Parker Brailsford on the Friday before spring break.
“It's great competition,” Kapilovic said. “We're rotating players. Nothing is better for a team than competition. When you have another player behind you who can push himself and win that job, it's about the level of play of both of them. “I think that's very important.” “Brock is a very talented kid. It's amazing how quickly he picked up this offense. It helps to be here, but it's good to have these two competing.”
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Brockermeyer vs. Brailsford pits returners against newcomers. Brockermeyer is in his fourth season with the Crimson Tide, during which time he has primarily worked as a reserve. Then there's Brailsford, once the heart of Washington. The former All-Pac-12 second team member started all 15 games for the Huskies a season ago, starting two at guard and the rest at center. Alabama hasn't sat many transfers from Power Five schools in the past, but Kapilovich indicated Brailsford should earn the job.
So what does it take to win?
“It all starts with leadership skills, communication skills and having a high soccer IQ,” Kapilovic said. “You've got to be able to understand the scheme. You've got to be able to communicate with the guys next to you. You've got to get guys in the right spots and get the ball from there to the quarterback. “It's about getting to the right spots and getting the ball to the quarterback. , playing at a high level. But it's a question of the mental location of the brain. So that's going to be a big part of it.”
As for the tackle spot, Kadin Proctor (transferred) and JC Latham (NFL Draft) are gone. Alabama doesn't have much starting experience. Top candidates for these spots would be players like Elijah Pritchett, Wilkin Formby, Nakil Betrand, and Miles McVay. Pritchett, Formby and McVay are all returning players, while Beatland is a transfer from Texas A&M.
“When you go in and you don't really have any starters at tackle on your roster, obviously it's a challenge,” Kapilovic said. “But we have some talented kids on this roster who can do it. It's just a matter of whether they really understand the schemes and techniques that are being taught, and it's going to be tough going forward until they get there.” It's going to be work.'' The first game. ”
Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, covering Alabama football and men's basketball. Contact us at nkelly@gannett.com or follow us @_Nick Kelly on the social media app X, formerly known as Twitter..
