O-line continues to be tinkered in search of consistency

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — On the offensive line, chemistry is everything.

Whether it's having the belief the player next to you is going to do their job to perfection or you're in a hostile environment and you need to move in unison, camaraderie is imperative, even when new faces join the unit.

Tyler Steen knows all about being the new guy on the unit, but unlike some of his freshman teammates, he's also the most experienced offensive lineman on the team, playing in 38 games with Vanderbilt.

His unique experience has become key for Alabama's offensive line, which has continued to be tinkered with throughout the first three games this season.

"Chemistry is very important on the offensive line," Tyler Steen said. "You really have to everyone doing his job. I really feel like chemistry is definitely coming along. We’ve improved, the offensive line as a whole.”

During his brief tenure with the Crimson Tide, Steen has already had three different teammates line up to his right in Kendall Randolph, Javion Cohen and Tyler Booker.

While playing guys in different spots to get them reps early in the season isn't a new concept, Alabama's front five also has to overcome its abysmal performance from last season.

The Crimson Tide struggled to protect Bryce Young averaging more than 2.80 sacks per game, good for 107th in the country. It was a point of emphasis coming into 2022 that the unit would play with more physicality or "a different mentality" as Nick Saban called it, and while the line has made some improvements, according to Saban it isn't consistent enough.

"I think as an entire group as an offensive line, we need to do all those things better," Saban said. "We need to play better together. We need to play fundamentally better just like every other position that I'm talking about. And if we want to have success individually or collectively, we need better consistency."

However, during last week's matchup with Texas, Alabama's front five showed flashes of brilliance. On Jase McClellan's 81-yard score, Emil Ekiyor Jr. blocks two Texas defenders which were followed up with key blocks by Cam Latu and Jermaine Burton.

"The whole (right) side of the line did everything exactly right," Saban said. Got great movement. Everybody took the right steps and we had a very successful play. Blocked the perimeter correctly. Just got to do more of those things on a more consistent basis."

But consistency is a fickle thing to find and it's even harder to keep which is why Alabama has continued shuffling around the personnel.

Against ULM, Alabama has found another in Tyler Booker who filled in at left guard for Cohen midway through the first quarter. The true freshman shined finishing as the Crimson Tide's second-best pass blocker grading at 82.2, according to Pro Football Focus.

His efforts received high praise from Saban who considered him a player who is "competing for a starting spot" along with Randolph and Cohen.

"(Booker) is another great player on the offensive line. He's very physical, very engaged (and) very athletic," Steen said. "He also brings that energy and juice from a young dude that definitely could get a little contagious for the rest of the offensive line. He brings that energy. He's a great player, very mean, very aggressive. Great to have someone like that on the O-line."

While Booker made strides against ULM, it's unclear how much of an impact he'll have along with the rest of the lineman who continued to be jumbled around in search of stability.

If there is anything the first three games have revealed, chemistry really is everything for a successful offensive line.