Alabama spring storylines: Offensive line
Alabama is a few days away from beginning its spring camp. To help us pass the time, BamaInsider will take a look at each of the Crimson Tide’s position groups, examining the key storylines and players to watch this spring.
Today we continue with the offensive line where Alabama will look to replace three starters from last season.
Key storyline: Evan Neal anchors a new offensive line
DeVonta Smith was unstoppable, defenses couldn’t keep Najee Harris out of the end zone, and Mac Jones put together one of the best seasons ever from a college quarterback. However, when opposing SEC coaches were asked what made Alabama’s offense so hard to stop one answer proved more popular than the rest.
“I’m not so sure that the strength of their offensive team is not their offensive line,” former Tennessee head coach Jeremey Pruitt said last October. “Probably the best offensive line that I’ve seen in a long, long time.”
Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman, who served as an offensive line coach before taking the job with the Razorbacks last year, echoed those comments a couple months later.
“Their offensive line is the best in college football,” he said. “Matter of fact, not for sure that I have seen an offensive line that well-coached, and including the ones I coached. That well-coached and that physical, they could do it all.”
Alabama not only earned the Joe Moore Award last season, it also boasted the Outland Trophy winner in Alex Leatherwood as well as the Rimington Trophy winner in Landon Dickerson. Unfortunately for the Tide, both of those starters are gone. So is 6-foot-4, 350-pound behemoth Deonte Brown.
However, Alabama does return a towering talent in Evan Neal, who is more than capable of anchoring the line this season.
