6/2/2021 football Edit

21 for 21: Breaking down Alabama's options on the offensive line

Alabama offensive linemen Emil Ekiyor Jr. (55) and Evan Neal (73) celebrate a touchdown against Ohio State in the national championship game. Photo | Getty Images

Tony Tsoukalas • TideIllustrated

Managing Editor

Alabama will look to repeat as national champions this year as it aims to add a 19th title to its trophy case. The Crimson Tide opens its season on Sept. 4 against Miami inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. To help pass the time until then, BamaInsider is delving into 21 topics and questions concerning the 2021 season.

Today, we continue our series by looking at possible ways Alabama can line up on the offensive line.

There’s a lot on the line for Doug Marrone this season — both figuratively and literally. One one hand, the first-year Alabama offensive line coach will need to find a way to replace three starters from last year’s Joe Moore Award-winning unit. On the other hand, he has one of the biggest talent pools in the nation to work with as the Crimson Tide has kept its line well-stocked through recruiting over the past few years.

This spring provided a few hints at how Alabama could line up. However, a couple of injuries clouded the picture a bit as starting guard Emil Ekiyor Jr. as well as Pierce Quick were both held out of spring camp.

Alabama has plenty of time to figure out its best five this fall when it returns to full strength. Until then, here’s a look at a few ways the Tide’s offensive line could look.

The all-experienced route

LT: Evan Neal,

LG:Tommy Brown

C: Chris Owens,

RG: Emil Ekiyor Jr.

RT: Kendall Randolph

Why it works: Alabama brought in five offensive linemen in this class, including two five-star tackles. However, when it comes to building a dependable offensive unit, experience matters.

This is very close to how Alabama’s first-team offensive line looked on A-Day when it lined up with Evan Neal, Javion Cohen, Chris Owens, Tommy Brown and Kendall Randolph from left to right. In the above front five, Cohen is bumped for Ekiyor while Brown moves to the left side next to Neal. Ekiyor started at right guard last season while Brown spent most of his time on the left, so neither of the two would face many adjustments.

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