Alabama's OL Looking to Prove Critics Wrong This Season

There’s a sign hung up inside Alabama’s offensive line room reminding the unit of a season it desperately wants to forget.

“41 sacks,” it reads. “Never again.”

The statistic is a reference to the 41 sacks Alabama surrendered last season, its highest total in the Nick Saban era. The Crimson Tide allowed 2.73 sacks per game last season, which ranked No. 103 in the nation and third-worst in the SEC in front of only LSU [2.92] and Tennessee [3.39].

A lack of protection almost cost Alabama in the Iron Bowl as it allowed Auburn to sack Bryce Young seven times while also piling up 11 tackles for a loss. While the Crimson Tide avoided that close call, it ultimately paid the price in the national championship game as Georgia got to Young three times while also forcing him into mistakes through constant pressure.

Things didn’t get any easier for Alabama’s front this offseason as it lost a top-five pick in Evan Neal as well as another starting offensive tackle in Chris Owens. Those departures, coupled with the absences of rehabbing starters Emil Ekiyor Jr. and Darrian Dalcourt this spring, led to even more growing pains as the unit struggled throughout camp before allowing 15 combined sacks across both teams during the A-Day game.

The unit has drawn plenty of scrutiny since then as it has been labeled as one of the biggest question marks in Alabama’s pursuit of returning to college football’s biggest stage this season.

Best believe the Crimson Tide is aware of the criticism.

“It’s definitely something that’s in the back of our head all the time as an offensive line,” Ekiyor told BamaCentral during the Nike Football Skills Camp at Hillcrest High School on Wednesday. “You really started hearing it after the Auburn game where we didn’t really have our best performance. Then after what happened against Georgia, we kind of developed a mentality that we’re tired of hearing all this. We’re trying to prove people wrong and answer the critics. That’s something that we’re really harping on this year.”

The sign on the wall isn’t the only thing motivating Alabama this offseason. First-year offensive line coach Eric Wolford has also been keen to remind his unit about how it is perceived by outsiders, rounding up articles referring to the Crimson Tide’s offensive line as a weakness and distributing them out to his players.

“Just the other day he was reading something out to us and he was like, ‘They don’t think we’re worth [expletive],’” Ekiyor said. “We’re just using it all as motivation and keep that in mind when we are working.”

While stats and speeches might help rally the troops through the dog days of summer, Alabama knows it’s going to take more than that to keep Young on his feet this fall.

The Crimson Tide made a significant step toward shoring up its offensive line in April when it added Vanderbilt transfer, Tyler Steen to the mix. The 6-foot-5, 315-pound lineman has started a combined 33 games at both tackle positions for the Commodores and figures to compete for the starting left tackle role this season.

“Tyler is really good,” Ekiyor said. “He’s come in, put his head down and got straight to work just like the veteran we expect him to be. I think he can be a leader in the room. He looks athletic, and he moves well. He does all the things you want to see out of a tackle, so we’re excited to see how he comes along and learns the plays.”

Steen’s veteran presence should pair well with Ekiyor, who figures to retain his role at right guard as he enters his third year as a starter at Alabama. After leading by example earlier in his career, Ekiyor said he’s looking to take on a more vocal role during his redshirt senior season.

“Being the older guy in the room is something I don’t want to shy away from,” Ekiyor said. “I put in the time and years to earn the right to be a leader, and I want to take full advantage of it and push the guys in the room to be as good as we can be. As a leader, my goals are for our O-line to win the Joe Moore Award, and we’re working every day to achieve that.”

Along with the veteran presense of Ekiyor and Steen, Alabama should also receive a boost from a few second-year starters. Javion Cohen returns at left guard after following his debut season as a starter last year. Meanwhile, Dalcourt and Seth McLaughlin will battle for the role at center after getting their first taste of starting experience last season.

“I think we have a lot more leadership on the offensive line just because guys have experience,” Ekiyor said. “We just have a few more guys who can come in and step up when they see something isn’t right.”

Sophomore J.C. Latham represents arguably the most promising piece to Alabama’s puzzle. The former five-star recruit was one of the line’s lone bright spots this spring and will enter the fall as the favorite to lock down the starting spot at right tackle.

“J.C. has pretty much done everything to solidify his spot at right tackle,” Ekiyor said. “He’s been one of the most impressive guys on the whole offseason, so we’re really looking forward to him having a big year.”

Latham will have the luxury of playing beside Ekiyor, who has spent the offseason building up chemistry with his future right-hand man. The two have been lifting partners in the weight room with Ekiyor also challenging Latham in order to get him up to speed on Alabama’s offense.

“Me as the older guy, I’m just taking him under my wing,” Ekiyor said. “I’m making sure he knows all his plays and everything because I know I’m going to have to count on him when it’s crunch time. I think he’s coming along really well, and he’s definitely going to live up to the hype this year.

“It’s kind of easy with J.C. because he yearns for the information and extra work. He’ll do whatever it takes just to be good. He’s a hard worker. He wants to watch extra film, do extra workouts. He’s doing extra pass sets after practice. He even pushes me to get better.”

The Crimson Tide’s mindset has also been sharpened by Wolford’s arrival. Along with bringing 26 years of coaching experience to Tuscaloosa, the 50-year-old assistant has also been a popular addition among his players due to his passionate style on the field.

“He just brings the energy,” Ekiyor said. “I feel like an offensive line coach, it’s important to do that because we’ve got the biggest unit on the team. Not only are we the biggest players, but there are more of us than anyone else, so there are a lot of different personalities. I feel like Coach Wolf has done a great job of being the leader of the room and commanding the best out of everybody. He’s been exactly what we needed, especially coming off of last year. We needed that spark.”

That energy, along with a few other means of motivation, appears to have fueled the Crimson Tide toward better fortunes this fall.

“I just think this offensive line is hungry to prove that we’re not what happened last year,” Ekiyor said. “We’re ready to prove that we’re coming different, and we’re ready to dominate everybody we play against. I’m not scared to say that because I know we’ve put in the work to do that. I think this group has a chance to be really special.”