Alabama offensive line building 'ruthless' mentality

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Building an offensive line mentality starts in the spring and Alabama already has this season's mantra, to be "ruthless."

After the unit was marred with inconsistency last season, the Crimson Tide brought in five new offensive linemen in the 2023 recruiting class with four at least 6-foot-6 or taller and all weighing in above 300 pounds. They were all brought in with the mindset of being nastier along the line of scrimmage, a plan that's already playing out in the spring.

"I want us to be ruthless," Alabama sophomore J.C. Latham said. "I want guys every time we line up to hike the ball, to be scared of us. I want them to understand that we're going to hit them in the mouth every play, ready to go four quarters."

Alabama was tied for fourth in scoring offense averaging more than 41 points per game, but there were times when it really struggled to protect Bryce Young allowing 22 sacks for 153 yards. The unit allowed 1.69 sacks per game last year which tied it for 47th nationally and third in the SEC behind Georgia and Florida.

Along with struggles in protection, Alabama couldn't establish a consistent run game at times. Jahmyr Gibbs led the team with 926 yards on the ground and averaged more than 77 yards per game.

He and Jase McClellan averaged more than eight yards per carry with Gibbs averaging a first down every time he touched the ball, but that consistency didn't trickle down as Roydell Williams was the team's other back who found success on the ground tallying 4.33 yards per carry.

Despite last year's struggles, Alabama head coach Nick Saban likes the unit that was brought in and hopes to develop them as the season progresses.

"I like the players that we have on the offensive line. I think we have some bigger, more physical players. I think they obviously don't have as much experience. But I like the attitude. I like their temperament. I like their toughness," Saban said. "And I think the number one thing is we got to create some depth. You know at that position, we probably lost more players than we gained even though the players that we gained we're excited about how and how they can contribute and what their future might be. So probably need to add a little depth at that position."

Latham is one of the more expereinced offensive linemen returning starting all 13 games last year. He's favored to become the next left tackle this fall, with Alabama losing seven offensive lineman, five of which left via the trasnfer portal.

While he didn't reveal if he was going to play at that spot, he's already taken on the role of a leader for Kaydn Proctor, Wilkin Formby, Roq Montgomery, Olaus Alinen and Edric Hill.

"I remember coming in my freshman year not really knowing what to expect," Latham said. "I came from IMG, so I had some kind feel for it. ... It’s new for everybody, so I’m just trying to take them along and just make sure they know what they’ve got to do on and off the field. And just making sure they’re enjoying their time and they’re having fun."