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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Raekwon Davis had to be restrained.
Huffing and puffing through footwork drills last week, the 6-foot-7, 306-pound defensive lineman came barreling toward the rest of Alabama’s defensive line. Waiting to brace him with a smile was senior Joshua Frazier who chuckled to himself before jokingly telling the sophomore to “slow down.”
Good luck with that.
Following right after Davis was JUCO transfer Isaiah Buggs, who came flying through the drill just as fast, swerving to the right as to not run into the huddle of teammates in front of him.
“Trying to make something happen,” Buggs exclaimed loudly.
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Buggs’ sentiment is shared by every member of the Crimson Tide’s roster, as Alabama heads into its second week of fall camp. However, there are few position groups that offer the same competition as the defensive line unit.
With the departure of Jonathan Allen and Dalvin Tomlinson, Alabama is now tasked with filling two of its three starting spots up front. Former No. 1 overall recruit Da’Shawn Hand seems poised to fill one of those vacancies heading into his senior year, leaving the rest of the Tide’s unit to fight for the lone remaining starting role.
After three practices, the two leaders for the position appear to be Davis and Buggs. While the competition between the two teammates has been friendly in nature, make no mistake — when it comes to the field things get fierce.
“Them two guys are always trying to compete and get the best out of each other,” Alabama defensive lineman Da’Ron Payne said. “They are both really hard workers, and they are always competing.”
Defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt reiterated the fact that Alabama does not have a depth chart, stating instead that the Tide uses a “rep chart” for how it works players during practice. That being said, Davis has worked with Alabama’s first-team unit in every practice so far while Buggs has been right at his heels on the second unit.
"We've got 11 guys that are competing for three positions and we haven't even put pads on,” Pruitt said. “So it's really hard to judge how a defensive lineman is going to play without pads on. We'll see over the next few weeks."
Davis came into Alabama somewhat raw as a freshman last season. The former four-star saw playing time in seven games, recording four tackles including a sack against Mississippi State. This offseason, he appears to have come back leaner while still maintaining his weight. That paid off during A-Day, where he led the Crimson team defense with seven tackles and a sack.
Now entering his second year, his teammates say that growth has extended into the mental part of his game.
“I feel like Raekwon, he’s really starting to come along, like getting the playbook and all that stuff,” Payne said.
Buggs enters his first season at Alabama has the No. 1 rated JUCO player in the 2017 class. After attending Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, the same JUCO that produced former Alabama great Terrence Cody, Buggs arrived in December in time to help the Tide prepare for its national championship game against Clemson. A strong performance this spring eventually led to a starting spot on the first-team defense during A-Day where he tallied three tackles and a quarterback hurry.
“He came in, and he was already here,” Payne said. “So he’s ready.”
There’s no question Alabama will need all the help it can get replacing Allen and Tomlinson, both of whom were selected in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft. The duo combined for 13.5 sacks 21.5 tackles for a loss and 22 quarterback hurries last season.
However, don’t let the lack of experience fool you. Alabama enters the season confident it can create the same pressure that saw the Tide lead the nation in sacks the past two seasons.
“We reload every year,” Payne said. “Coach (Nick) Saban keeps a good group of guys around us and all of them ready to go and all of them are working hard and dedicated to the game. It’s a next-man-up mentality.”
While the next month will go a long way in determining who that next man will be, there’s little doubt both Buggs and Davis will do everything in their power to have a say in the matter.
