As if Jehiem Oatis didn’t have enough change to worry about this offseason, he’s adding one more alteration to the list entering his junior year. Like the rest of Alabama’s roster, the defensive lineman is getting used to a new coaching staff and scheme following Nick Saban’s retirement in January. Oatis also switched his number from 91 to 10, but that’s not the only change he’s made on Alabama’s roster.

After spelling his first name Jahiem during his first two years in Tuscaloosa, Oatis now spells it Jehiem. The Columbia, Mississippi native says that change dates back to his younger days.

“Back when I was in primary school and was younger, I spelled it two different ways (Jehiem & Jahiem),” Oatis said. “When I was in high school, I spelled like Jehiem; when I was younger, I spelled it Jahiem. When they asked me which one I wanted to be on the list, I just put the Jehiem one.”

After signing with Alabama as the No. 6 player in the 2022 class, Oatis wasted no time making a name for himself. Dropping more than 100 pounds from his high school days, he carved out a first-team role two games into his debut season. That led to him earning Freshman All-SEC recognition as he recorded 29 tackles, including two for a loss and a sack while starting 10 games over 12 appearances.

Oatis began the 2023 season as a starter at defensive tackle but lost that role five weeks into the season. Instead of trending up on the stat sheet, the veteran defensive lineman flatlined in his sophomore campaign, recording 26 tackles and nine total pressures.

After being sidelined all spring due to injury, Oatis enters his junior season looking to parlay his name change into a changed narrative after not having the ascension so many people expected from him in his sophomore year. So far, during Alabama’s preseason camp, he’s beginning to feel like his old self.

“I’m back,” Oatis said. “I'm back 100% on the field, doing drills, mobility. I'm moving like I was in my freshman and sophomore year; everything feels pretty good.”

As for that name change, it’s still taking some time for his coaches and teammates to get used to. Then again, that shouldn’t matter as long as Oatis continued to find consistent production on the field this fall.

“I don't even know how to spell it,” Alabama defensive line coach Freddie Roach said of Oatis’ new first name. “It's enough for me to spell my name. Somebody said something about it, and I asked him if he even knew how to spell it, and he said he did, so I stay out of all that.”