Raekwon Davis was the lone marquee defensive lineman that Alabama lost to the National Football League.
The Crimson Tide returns leadership in LaBryan Ray and Phidarian Mathis along the defensive front; however, it is also littered with young talent on the roster. Nick Saban and Pete Golding (defensive coordinator) played four freshmen — DJ Dale, Byron Young, Justin Eboigbe and Christian Barmore — last season and each member of the quartet had productive moments.
Despite the players having a year under their belts, the Tide signed more true freshmen in the 2020 class and they are being brought up to speed. Alabama did not play the run well, it struggled defensively in the red zone, and it lacked a consistent pass rush in 2019.
Part of this was not having a balance of run stoppers and pass rushers on the line.
RELATED: Alabama gearing up for social distancing seating this season
With the hiring of Freddie Roach, Saban believes the problem will be solved this season.
On Saturday, Alabama held its final scrimmage of preseason camp at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
According to Saban, the defensive line has made progress. He points to Justin Eboigbe as the player who has been the ‘most consistent.’
“We have got to get these guys to be good all-around players” Saban said. “We got to get them to rush the passer. Some of them play the run, but they have to improve in rushing the passer. We got some guys that rush the passer well, but they have to improve on playing the run. It is a good effort to get the group to continue to improve. For the most part, we have been more physical up front.”
The reason behind the physicality is the competition from the offensive line.
Alabama has four individuals — Alex Leatherwood, Landon Dickerson, Evan Neal and Deonte Brown — that have played a lot of football together and one can also slide Chris Owens into the mix too. Even with Leatherwood held out of the scrimmage, the group of Kendall Randolph, Brown, Dickerson, Emil Ekiyor and Neal still worked the defensive line and made plays.
“We are getting challenged every day,” Saban said of the defensive line. “We have a pretty good offensive line. I have been pleased with the way they have played, so it is good competition for everybody.”
In the absence of Christian Barmore (knee), Eboigbe played with the first-team defense.
The 6-foot-5, 285-pound defensive end missed two games last year, but played in 10. He totaled 10 tackles, three tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and one quarterback pressure. A native of Forest Park, Ga., Eboigbe performed well in August camp last season and filled in admirably for LaBryan Ray — who missed 10 games because of a foot injury. Barmore will be back in a few days, but Eboigbe has put in another strong camp.
For now, he’s poised to be the week one starter with Ray and Dale on the line.
*Get the BEST Alabama football insider information, message board access, and recruiting coverage today! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our subscriber only content!*
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
