Does Alabama football have an offensive line problem ahead of 2025 season? What Ryan Grubb thinks
Ryan Grubb knows exactly what he wants the Alabama football run game to look like next fall. The Crimson Tide offensive coordinator wants physicaBut that is not the problem for the Crimson Tide up front. It’s the lack of depth in the room, the lack of options between the starters up front and the four-man freshman class of Carroll, Jackson Lloyd, Micah DeBose and Mal Waldrep Jr., highlighted by a number of spring injuries, including Proctor. For Grubb, a former offensive line coach at Fresno State, Eastern Michigan and Sioux Falls, that depth problem is what spring practice is for.
lity. He wants technical runners who seamlessly transition between inside and outside zone, counters, pin-pulls, powers and sweeps: none of which is new for Alabama. But to Grubb it’s a mentality, Alabama must be able to run the football whenever and wherever. “I think the guys know that to win the late games and the playoffs and things like that,” Grubb said, “there has to be a mindset and demeanor that you gotta be able to run the football.”
For Alabama, that mindset is not solely about running backs like Jam Miller, Richard Young or Louisiana transfer Dre’lyn Washington. It’s about the offensive line up front, a line that is seemingly in flux at the start of spring practice.
Certain pieces are set: Parker Brailsford is back at center, Jaeden Roberts is back at right guard and Kadyn Proctor is back at left tackle. Wilkin Formby is seemingly penciled in as the Crimson Tide’s starting right tackle after Elijah Pritchett transferred to Nebraska. And right guard still seems up for grabs with incoming Texas A&M transfer Kam Dewberry, freshman Michael Carroll and returners like Olaus Alinen fighting for snaps.
“Yeah, we got a couple guys out, for sure, which is just more reps and opportunity for young guys,” Grubb said. “Guys like Jackson Lloyd — guys like that getting in there and taking reps, I think is really important. So, we’re looking at it more from a standpoint that all of these guys that need to be developed are absolutely going to have an opportunity.”
Development is vital. And Alabama is seemingly trusting in that development ahead of the 2025 season. The Crimson Tide added Dewberry, a former Aggie freshman All-American whose role decreased significantly as a junior in 2024 with 261 snaps across 11 games, per Pro Football Focus. Offensive tackle Arkel Anugwom also transferred to Alabama with one career left tackle start and 100 career snaps from his career at Ball State.
When asked about the Alabama offensive line, he said he sees a “big, physical” unit “just grinding” and working to improve. It’s the kind of line Miller and Alabama will need to meet the expectation Grubb put on the Crimson Tide run game. “Right now, all of our guys are training, being physical,” Miller said. “Whoever is in the game, whoever is in the practice, of course they are going to go out there and do their thing.” Alabama will end its spring practice schedule at noon April 12 with its annual A Day spring game at Bryant-Denny Stadium.