Kam Dewberry might be new to Alabama, but the Texas A&M transfer guard is no stranger to the physical play of the SEC. Before transferring to the Crimson Tide in December, Dewberry started eight games over 32 appearances during his three seasons in College Station, Texas.

So when it comes to a “Welcome to Alabama” moment, the 6-foot-4, 335-pound lineman made sure he wasn’t on the receiving end.

“Me personally, I feel like I welcomed some boys to Bama,” Dewberry said during an appearance on The Bama Standard on Tuesday evening. “We’re still a fairly young team, and people don’t understand that. … I feel like some of them younguns, I had to let them know the SEC is different.”

This spring, Dewberry split time with Geno VanDeMark at Alabama’s vacant left guard role, where the Tide is looking to replace first-round pick Tyler Booker. Like Booker, who isn’t shy about expressing his desire to make his opponents hate football, Dewberry also prides himself on making life miserable for defensive linemen through his physical play.

“I feel like I bring physicality. That's the first thing that I am,” he said. “Some boys know, when I go out there, you're gonna have a headache after the game. I'm gonna keep coming.”

Last season, Dewberry served as a reserve for Texas A&M, lining up primarily at both guard positions while also spending a few snaps at left tackle. According to Pro Football Focus, he registered a 51.4 pass-blocking grade as well as a 57.9 run-blocking mark over 261 snaps.

That pass-blocking grade is a bit misleading, as Dewberry recorded marks above 77.0 in five of his first six games before struggling in back-to-back performances against LSU (13.6) and South Carolina (22.7) when he was pitted up against second-round selections Maason Smith and T.J. Sanders respectively.

Entering his final year of eligibility, Dewberry credited Alabama director of sports performance Dave Ballou for helping him reach the best shape he’s been in his life. The lineman believes that will lead to more consistency on the field.

“I feel like, times, me not being in as good shape as I could have been has — when plays get long and drives get longer, my play kind of dipped a little bit." Dewberry said. “So I just feel like me being in the most shape can be [will help]. Two, I feel like my overall foot quickness in the run game, just being able to come off fast and get my feet in ground fast. Once I get somebody going, I’m getting them going, but it’s just my whole thing is getting there from the start.”

Along with his increased athleticism, Dewberry believes his three seasons in the SEC have helped him fine-tune his technique and awareness at the line of scrimmage

“I know how physical you got to be to be able to play in this league,” he said. “I bring that experience. Me knowing I can see a blitz coming before it even comes.”

And then after the ball is snapped, he isn’t afraid to provide a few lessons on what SEC ball is all about.

“I feel like I bring energy,” Dewberry said. “When I'm on the field, you gonna tell. I'm gonna be in your face. I'm gonna talk. I'm gonna be a scrappy player like that. They gonna feel my energy when I'm in the game.”