TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — There were several opportunities for Alabama players to flash their elite speed over the weekend. Henry Ruggs III was clocked at 23 miles per hour while chasing down Tennessee safety Nigel Warrior following an interception from Tua Tagovailoa in the first quarter. Trevon Diggs registered a speed of 22 miles per hour during his 100-yard fumble return in the fourth quarter.

However, one of the most impressive runs on the night came from 6-foot-7, 360-pound offensive lineman Evan Neal. Like Ruggs, Neal was also booking it down the field following Tagovailoa’s interception. While he doesn’t share the same 4.2 speed as the track-star receiver, the freshman still raised some eyebrows with his hustle.

Following the pick, Neal started his sprint at the Tennessee 5-yard line and made it all the way to the midfield before Ruggs brought down Warrior at the Alabama 41-yard line. The giant offensive lineman never had a chance of making the tackle on the play, but his effort didn’t go unnoticed by his teammates.

“I was very impressed with him,” starting left tackle Alex Leatherwood said. “To be that big and to move that fast, that speed is very impressive. That was cool to see.”

Added Diggs: “That’s something that coaches want to see, linemen going downfield and making plays.”

Neal might not make many headlines with his speed, but he’s beginning to develop into a steady force on the Crimson Tide’s offensive line. According to Pro Focus Focus, the five-star freshman earned a 73.8 overall grade against Tennessee, including a 72.1 pass-blocking mark and a 74.0 run-blocking mark. After allowing four pressures in his first two games, Neal has given up just three over his past five outings.

“Just his football IQ, you know what I mean,” Leatherwood said. “Just understanding defenses and what they’re trying to do and stuff like that. His technique, he’s made significant improvements since spring ball. It’s been good seeing him.”

Neal was ranked as the No. 1 tackle and No. 8 overall player in this year’s recruiting class. However, he was moved inside to guard during the spring. Leatherwood, the top tackle in the 2017 class, made the same transition during his sophomore season last year, starting all 15 games at left guard.

“The advice that I gave to him was to just watch the best players at his position do their job,” Leatherwood said. “Dudes like Quenton Nelson and stuff like that, like NFL guards, you know what I mean. Just watch a lot of film on them and their technique and how they work to apply it to your game so you can get better.”

Alabama has seen improvement across its offensive line in recent weeks, especially on the ground where it has helped running back Najee Harris reach the century mark in three of the past four games. Neal and the Crimson Tide will have an opportunity to expand on that success this week as they face an Arkansas defense that ranks second to last in the SEC allowing 192.86 yards per game on the ground.

No. 1 Alabama (7-0, 4-0) will play Arkansas (2-5, 0-4) Saturday at 6 p.m. CT inside of Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN.

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