Quiet leader Alex Leatherwood has been a steadying force for Alabama

Related

Nick Saban tests positive for COVID-19, will miss Iron Bowl

Exclusive interview with key target Terrion Arnold

Alabama basketball opens season with route over Jacksonville State

Alex Leatherwood much prefers his time in the trenches to that in the spotlight.

While some linemen long for the attention generated by skill players, the Alabama senior grits through his media sessions as if they were after-practice gassers. In fact, if given the choice, don’t be surprised if he selected the latter.

Leatherwood is a man of few words. When asked about the offensive lineman earlier this week, Alabama quarterback Mac Jones referred to him as funny and really smart while noting that he’s a “bit quiet at first.”

“I feel like Mac really hit it on the money,” Leatherwood told BamaInsider. “I’m pretty reserved.”

It’s not that Leatherwood isn’t an eloquent speaker. He authored and narrated Alabama’s “Black Lives Matter” video this summer and provides intelligent quotes when quizzed by reporters. He’d just rather let his play do the talking.

“I think Alex probably does as much as anybody from the example that he sets, how he competes, how he plays,” head coach Nick Saban said earlier this week. “He’s a little bit of a quiet guy but certainly leads by example and has done a really, really good job of that all year long, on and off the field. I think he’s demonstrated that the team is really important to him. The players on the team are important to him. He’s really matured nicely and played very consistently for us.”

At times during his four-year career with the Tide, Leatherwood’s actions have spoken for him. His one-season shift from tackle to guard in 2018 was described as a “sacrifice” by Saban, while his countless hours spent inside Alabama’s athletics facility serve as an example to younger players on the team.

Although, there are select moments when Leatherwood’s deep baritone voice is used to make a point. When the 6-foot-6, 312-pound lineman speaks up, you best believe his teammates are all ears.

Leatherwood says his first true leadership moment at Alabama came during the offseason before his sophomore season as he and the line slogged through the throes of Alabama’s grueling Fourth Quarter program. Watching as his unit failed to live up to the Tide’s general standard of excellence, the young lineman had seen enough.

“I felt like we could take it to another level,” Leatherwood recalled. “And I’m not the type of person to like speak out loud and stuff and get attention, but that day it felt like it was needed. I just addressed my group. It was just an eye-opening moment that everybody in my group was tuned in and respected what I had to say.”

Generally, those types of team speeches aren’t Leatherwood’s style. Instead, the lineman prefers to approach his teammates on an individual basis where he can build more of a personal bond. Since joining the team as a graduate transfer last season, starting center Landon Dickerson said he is involved in one of those one-on-one encounters with Leatherwood nearly every day in the locker room.

“I can speak with him and be honest with him, and he knows not to take it to heart,” Dickerson told BamaInsider. “I feel the same way when he talks to me. We have a great relationship where we kind of critique each other, speak our minds, and we don’t ever really get upset about it.

“He says things in a way that a lot of guys understand it and take note of it. Whether it be in a player meeting or on the bench coming off the field, when he says something it’s meaningful.”

Conversations come easily between Leatherwood and Dickerson as the two have built up a friendship both on and off the field over the past two years. However, Leatherwood’s individualist approach to leadership comes in especially handy when dealing with younger players who aren’t necessarily accustomed to taking criticism in front of a group.

Spending roughly 90 percent of his time inside of Alabama’s training facility, Leatherwood takes it upon himself to seek out younger players whenever he has the chance. Whether it be in the training room or during meals in the dining hall, he isn’t shy about pulling a freshman off to the side to provide pointers away from the pressure of their fellow teammates.

“I just like to check up on them and see how they’re doing,” he explained. “Things like that. Try to just give them guidance and tips on where they need to be going.”

This season, Leatherwood has been a steadying force in Alabama’s offense on the field as well. In his second season at left tackle, the senior ranks second on the team with an 82.4 run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus, up from 72.3 last season. After allowing sacks in back to back games against Ole Miss and Georgia, he’s kept Jones on his feet over the past three games.

“Alex does a really good job of setting the tone and playing to his potential every week,” Dickerson said. “I appreciate that from him because he’s going to give his all every game no matter the circumstance.”

Despite earning first-team All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association and All-SEC honors from conference coaches last year, Leatherwood left last season with a sour taste in his mouth. Two losses and a trip to the Citrus Bowl weren’t exactly how he envisioned his final chapter at Alabama.

Ultimately, that led to him snubbing the NFL draft and returning for one final season with the Tide.

“I feel I left a lot on the table as a player, and I felt like I just had a lot more to offer. I just wanted to come back and capitalize on that,” Leatherwood explained during fall camp. “And also the way the season went last year, it wasn’t how us, or anybody expected it to go, and I wanted to come back and leave on a way better note than what we did.”

When asked to elaborate on his decision to return this week, Leatherwood said it came down to three simple goals.

“I wanted to get my degree, and I wanted to win the national championship, and I wanted to take my style of play to another level,” he said.

After earning a business finance degree in the spring, and serving as a stalwart on Alabama’s offensive line through seven games this season, Leatherwood is well on his way toward checking off all three of those boxes this season.

This weekend, he’ll continue putting the finishing touches on his college career as he prepares for his final game inside Bryant-Denny Stadium as No. 1 Alabama will host No. 22 Auburn on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. for a Senior Day Iron Bowl.

“It means a lot to have been able to come here and wear that A on my chest and play my heart out every chance I got in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturdays,” Leatherwood said. “I’m just appreciative of the opportunity, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”