The upcoming 2024 college football season for the Alabama Crimson Tide will be interesting. A handful of key contributors departed for the NFL, while others left via the transfer portal upon hearing of legendary head coach Nick Saban’s decision to retire. While some fans are unsure how to feel about certain positional units, there is one that is being praised as the best in the nation.
Alabama’s offensive line was recently ranked No. 1 in the nation, according to Pro Football Focus, which ranked the top 10 offensive line units in all of college football.
With a quarterback as versatile as Jalen Milroe, protecting him from pass rushers, and allowing him to read the field is a must. In 2023, many fans had complaints about the performance of the offensive line, especially at center.
As the team prepares for 2024, it seems as if new head coach Kalen DeBoer was able to piece together an offensive line that has experience and a proven track record of success.
The line took a big hit early in the offseason as high-profile, former five-star recruit Kadyn Proctor announced his decision to enter the transfer portal and return to his home state of Iowa to play for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Just a few weeks later, however, Proctor re-entered the transfer portal and re-committed to the Crimson Tide. This was one of the biggest moves of the offseason for the team.
DeBoer also managed to recruit former Washington Huskies center Parker Brailsford, who played under DeBoer at Washington. Issues snapping the football in 2023 led many to believe that opportunities were missed and Milroe was being limited in what he could do, having to field low snaps and chasing untimely snapped footballs.
Pro Football Focus has high praise for Alabama’s offensive line in 2024, writing,
“All three of Alabama’s projected starters on the interior made PFF’s list of the top returners at the position: Parker Brailsford (No. 1), Tyler Booker (No. 3) and Jaeden Roberts (No. 7).
“They also return sophomore left tackle Kadyn Proctor, who transferred from Alabama to Iowa and back to Alabama, all in a span of three months. The former top-10 recruit’s freshman season was a roller coaster, as he earned a 76.3 PFF grade in the final seven games after posting a 54.5 mark in the first seven.”
While many are unsure where to place expectations for Alabama in the 2024 season, there should be very high hopes for what this offensive line will be capable of. It is far from flashy, but the line is the reason why Milroe will be able to make the highlight-worthy plays and how massive game-changing runs can take place.
Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football as the 2024 offseason progresses.
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