TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic admits he sounds like a broken record when addressing what he wants to see from the Crimson Tide’s battle at right tackle this preseason. To be fair, offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan’s message isn’t much different.
The main demand from both assistants is clear — consistency.
“I know this seems so simple but the guy that plays the best,” Sheridan said Wednesday when asked what will determine the winner of the battle. “The guy that plays well consistently in all areas. You know, this is an unforgiving league. We all know that you can't hide, so you know, you need quality play up front.”
Kapilovic was a bit more detailed when listing out the necessary qualities for his next starting right tackle.
“It starts with trust,” he said. “This guy is going to make sure he knows exactly what his calls are. He knows how to react to the different looks and pressures we’re going to get, so we know that we’re not going to get any catastrophic plays. It starts there.”
“Then it’s who can be the physically most dominant player. Who’s the guy who’s going to lock down that D-end in pass rush and is going to move people in the run game? That’s what you’re looking for. That’s the battle through camp. Who can become that guy?
Now that Kadyn Proctor has reclaimed his first-team role at left tackle, the battle for Alabama’s starting bookend is between redshirt freshman Wilkin Formby and redshirt sophomore Elijah Pritchett.
Formby appeared in just 14 snaps during his debut season last year but has served as Alabama’s first-team right tackle for most of preseason camp. According to sources, he worked with the ones for the first six to eight drives of the Tide’s first preseason scrimmage over the weekend. Formby also started the A-Day game this spring while Pritchett was serving at left tackle before Proctor’s return to the team.
“Wilk is a guy who really understands the offense, what we’re doing,” Kapilovic said. “He makes good calls, gets us in the right places. And then when he’s consistent with his footwork and his pad level he can be a very good run blocker and pass blocker.”
Pritchett joined Alabama as the top-rated tackle in the 2022 class. After redshirting his first season due to a pectoral injury, he lost out in a tight battle with Proctor for the starting left tackle role last fall. Pritchett spent time at left tackle earlier this offseason but has been moved exclusively to the right side in recent practices.
“Pritchett does a nice job when he plays, he plays hard, plays with a little bit of an edge,” Kapilovic said.” He can be really dominant. He’s a big, strong, physical kid. When he wants to, he can lock them down in pass pro and the run game.”
Perhaps no one has had a better look at Alabama’s right tackle competition than Jaeden Roberts, who lines up directly next to either Formby or Pritchett on the field. According to the starting right guard, there hasn’t been a dropoff in help regardless of who is checking in to his right.
“Both are really hard workers,” Roberts said. “Both are really smart and agile and flexible. It’s really just about, at the end of the day, who’s going to get the job done? They’re working hard, and they’re just young guys trying to build that experience up.”
Speaking about the right tackle battle following Wednesday’s practice, Kapilovic said, “I see this competition going for a while.” In fact, there’s no guarantee Alabama will find its primary right tackle by the season opener on Aug. 31.
That might not be a bad thing for Kapilovic, who said he’s open to rotating Formby and Pritchett throughout games if the situation calls for it.
“If you’ve got two guys battling, and they’re both battling in practice and there’s not a clear difference between them, there’s nothing wrong with playing both of them,” Kapilovic said. “Sometimes you’ve got two guys playing, they’re both a little fresher throughout the game and you’re getting a great right tackle with the two of them together combined.”
Wednesday’s workout served as the 12th of 20 preseason practices for Alabama until it moves into game-week preparations for Western Kentucky. The Crimson Tide will return to the practice field on Thursday and Friday before holding its second preseason scrimmage on Saturday inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.
When asked what he wants to see from his offensive line over the next few days, Kapilovic turned on that broken record again.
“There’s time we show some real dominant plays up front. And there’s other plays the guy’s too high, takes a bad step and then the defense makes you pay,” he said. “If we can get these guys to be more consistent by the time we get to the first game, I think we can be a dominant front.”
