A look at Alabama’s reshaped offensive line heading into spring camp

Alabama offensive lineman William Sanders (70) walks off the field inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. Photo | Alabama Athletics

Adrian Klemm will have his work cut out for him this season. The first-year offensive line coach takes over an Alabama unit that returns just one starter from last year. Meanwhile, the Tide will look to re-establish its running game after putting together one of the nation’s worst ground games last fall. 

Here’s a look at the Crimson Tide’s reshaped offensive front heading into spring camp. 

Projected starters 

LT — Jayvin James 

LG — William Sanders 

C — Racin Delgatty 

RG — Nick Brooks 

RT — Michael Carroll 

Along with being the lone returning starter on the line, Michael Carroll is the only sure-fire first-teamer heading into the spring. The five-star sophomore figures to keep his role at right tackle, where he started six games over 15 appearances during his debut season. 

The next most likely starter is Cal Poly transfer Racin Delgatty (6-foot-3, 300 pounds), who has 20 starts at center over the past two seasons. Delgatty’s experience comes exclusively at the FCS level. However, for an Alabama offensive line that returns no snapping experience from last year, that veteran presence gives him a definite leg up at the position. Alabama also brought in Michigan transfer Kaden Strayhorn (6-2, 308) to compete at center. 

The competition at the guard positions will be intense, as William Sanders (6-3, 308) will battle with Texas transfer Nick Brooks (6-7, 349) and Ole Miss transfer Ethan Fields (6-3, 320). Michigan transfer Ty Haywood (6-5, 316) could also be a competitor for one of the roles if Alabama elects to shift him inside. 

Brooks started three games at left guard and played extended time in another for Texas last season. While he struggled for most of that stretch, his SEC experience gives him the nod along with Sanders heading into spring camp. 

Left tackle will also be a close battle, as Jackson Lloyd (6-7, 318) competes with Mississippi State transfer Jayvin James (6-5, 320) and Haywood. 

James, a rising redshirt junior, started 10 games at left tackle last season and two more at right tackle. While Lloyd and Haywood might have higher ceilings, James’ starting experience makes him the early favorite to begin the season in the blindside role. 

Biggest breakout — William Sanders 

William Sanders will need a breakout season if he’s going to beat out Alabama’s transfer additions for one of the two starting openings at the guard positions. After showing glimpses while splitting time with the first-team offensive line last season, the Brookwood, Alabama native appears poised to take his game to another level during his redshirt sophomore season this fall. 

Sanders saw offensive snaps in 10 of his 15 games last season, lining up exclusively at left guard. His most extended reps came during Alabama’s 30-14 win over Vanderbilt, where he registered four knockdowns while taking part in 35 offensive snaps. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Sanders allowed four quarterback pressures over 125 pass-blocking snaps. Three of those came in his first extended workload during Alabama’s Week 5 win at Georgia. He was also a capable run blocker, earning a 64.6 grade over 60 run-blocking snaps, according to PFF. 

Sanders isn’t cut from the same mold as Alabama’s mammoth interior offensive linemen of the past, but he’s not undersized at the position either. More importantly, he has the athleticism and mobility Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb require from their lineman for pulls and screens. 

A year ago at this time, former Alabama offensive lineman Tyler Booker labeled Sanders as the next big name to emerge from the Tide’s offensive line room. 

“I’m not sure if it’ll be next year, but in the future you’ll be hearing about Will Sanders,” Booker said during last year’s NFL combine. “That’s a guy who’s an Alabama native. He didn’t have the biggest name coming out, but he’s somebody who works hard every single day.”

This year, Sanders should be in a position to prove his former teammate right. 

Biggest question — Can Alabama run the damn ball? 

Alabama was horrible at moving the ball on the ground last season — not just by its own standards, either. The Tide’s rushing attack ranked second-worst in the SEC and 125th nationally, averaging just 104.33 yards per game on the ground. Alabama also ranked No. 126th, managing just 3.35 yards per attempt. 

The Tide particularly struggled to move the ball inside, averaging just 3.42 yards on runs to either side of the center. Big-bodied additions such as Brooks and Fields should provide more of a push in the running game. Meanwhile, Klemm might be able to get more out of the unit than Chris Kapilovic did the past two years. 

Things can’t be much worse than they were last year. But if Alabama is going to contend for championships, its ground game will need to be much better this fall.