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'We have not proven anything yet' - Kadyn Proctor not ready to crown Alabama's OL despite tremendous talent, experience and upside

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Clint Lamb | Last updated Jul 20, 2025 3:22 PM ET

Alabama needs to improve on offense in Year 2 under Kalen DeBoer. Don't get me wrong, there were good moments where the Tide seemed unstoppable. That first half against Georgia and the entire LSU game immediately come to mind, but there was way too much inconsistency throughout the year.

Obviously, several changing factors should improve that consistency.

For one, a change at offensive coordinator should help. Nick Sheridan, while a promising young offensive mind, is still growing into the type of role while Ryan Grubb is an experienced, capable play-caller. The play-caller-quarterback marriage should also be improved with Ty Simpson offering more of what the coaching staff is looking for at the position.

The offensive line is another critical factor though. Once again, there was some good in last year's group, but there wasn't ever any consistent push in the run game, and the pass protection failed at some critical moments. There's reason for optimism amongst this group though.

Alabama's offensive line returns three full-time starters from a season ago in Parker Brailsford, Kadyn Proctor and Jaeden Roberts. You also have two other players, Wilkin Formby and Geno VanDeMark, who started at least two games apiece while combining for 700 snaps. Combine those five players with Texas A&M transfer Kam Dewberry, who has played over 1,100 career snaps and gotten a handful of starts in the SEC, and you've got an experienced group.

It's possible that Alabama could have up to three or four Day 1-2 draft picks amongst this bunch, headlined by potential No. 1 overall pick Kadyn Proctor. And for these reasons, Pro Football Focus has the Crimson Tide offensive line ranked No. 1 for 2025.

PFF’s #1 Offensive Line in College Football:

Alabama Crimson Tide pic.twitter.com/HCk9T0DKZ3
— PFF College (@PFF_College) June 18, 2025

Now, this doesn't automatically mean that Alabama's offensive line woes will be completely solved this season. But it does mean that national analysts are recognizing the potential of this group, especially when you combine some of the depth options such as William Sanders and five-star true freshmen such Michael Carroll and Jackson Lloyd.

Proctor isn't ready to hand this group any flowers though.

“We have not proven anything yet, offensive line-wise, to be ranked No. 1,” Proctor said at SEC Media Days on Wednesday. “Throughout the season, and when the Joe Moore Award comes around, then we’ll know. Right now, we’re just focused on lifting, running, going into fall camp and having the best time of our lives.”

If you're an Alabama fan, this is exactly the sort of thing you want to hear from Proctor. He's not buying into any hype. His offensive lines have been over-hyped in each of his first two seasons on campus, so he's more about letting their play do the talking. So as he said, we'll see what this group is all about once they start narrowing down finalists for the Joe Moore Award, which is given to the top offensive line in the country.

With all that being said, this is a group to be excited about heading into fall camp. It's a great combination of talent and experience. So hopefully you'll see better pass protection in those critical moments and more consistent movement in the run game, which will keep the offense on schedule more and keep the entire playbook open to Grubb.