Alabama is a few days away from beginning its spring camp. To help us pass the time, BamaInsider will take a look at each of the Crimson Tide’s position groups, examining the key storylines and players to watch this spring.
Today we continue with the defensive line where Alabama should have plenty of experienced options to choose from.
Key storyline: Alabama returns tons of depth on the defensive line
Alabama defensive line coach Freddie Roach should be licking his chops this spring. Outside of the running back position, Alabama’s greatest area of depth is on the defensive line.
The Tide loses its sacks leader from last season in Christian Barmore but still finds itself two deep in experienced talent at all three positions across the line.
D.J. Dale, Justin Eboigbe, Phidarian Mathis, LaBryan Ray and Byron Young all return after starting at least one game last season. Meanwhile, Tim Smith is coming off an impressive freshman year in which he was able to earn some first-team snaps. Alabama’s task will now be to turn that experience into production to make up for the loss of Barmore.
Dale has been a serviceable run-stopper at nose guard but has yet to provide much of a pass-rushing threat in his two previous years as a starter. Smith showed plenty of potential during his debut season and could make a push for the inside role.
Ray returns after missing the majority of the last two seasons due to injury. The redshirt senior might have the most talent in Alabama’s unit, but his durability is starting to become a concern. Regardless of whether Ray can stay healthy, Alabama’s line should still have a senior presence as Mathis returns for his fifth year in the program. Eboigbe carved out a full-time starting role in his second season last year while Young has proven to be a nice rotational piece on the line.
In addition to its returning players, Alabama also brings in a talented defensive line class that features Rivals100 members Monkell Goodwine and Damon Payne.
Potential sleeper: Tim Smith
Outside of Barmore, Alabama’s defensive front was a bit toothless in terms of providing a pass rush. While Barmore’s eight sacks ranked second in the conference, the rest of the Tide’s line brought down opposing quarterbacks a combined four times. Alabama will need to see a dramatic uptick in that production if it wants to take its defense to the next level this season.
Smith could be the answer to that problem as he showed an elite blend of power and agility that could see him become Alabama’s next dominant force in the interior. The former Rivals100 member wasn’t always the most disciplined player on the field during his freshman year, but his potential was easy to spot. Appearing in 163 defensive snaps over nine games, he tallied 14 stops, including 2.5 for a loss with a sack. He also forced a fumble against Mississippi State.
Nick Saban, who generally shies away from doling out too much praise to freshmen, spoke favorably of Smith last year, stating that he showed plenty of potential moving forward. If the defensive tackle is able to mature and play assignment football he could be a vital piece in this year’s defense.
What to expect
Unlike other position groups, it’s hard to nail down an exact starting lineup across the defensive line. Assuming everyone stays healthy, Ray, Dale and Eboigbe figure to get the most first-team action. That being said, Mathis, Young and Smith should all see plenty of action as they rotate in certain packages.
As mentioned above, Alabama’s biggest need is developing more disruption up the middle. Earlier this month, Alabama director of sports science Dr. Matt Rhea posted a video of Dale appearing to show more explosion on his starts. That would be a big boost for the Tide. However, if the junior isn’t able to improve his pass-rushing abilities Alabama has plenty of other options to work with.
Today we continue with the defensive line where Alabama should have plenty of experienced options to choose from.
Key storyline: Alabama returns tons of depth on the defensive line
Alabama defensive line coach Freddie Roach should be licking his chops this spring. Outside of the running back position, Alabama’s greatest area of depth is on the defensive line.
The Tide loses its sacks leader from last season in Christian Barmore but still finds itself two deep in experienced talent at all three positions across the line.
D.J. Dale, Justin Eboigbe, Phidarian Mathis, LaBryan Ray and Byron Young all return after starting at least one game last season. Meanwhile, Tim Smith is coming off an impressive freshman year in which he was able to earn some first-team snaps. Alabama’s task will now be to turn that experience into production to make up for the loss of Barmore.
Dale has been a serviceable run-stopper at nose guard but has yet to provide much of a pass-rushing threat in his two previous years as a starter. Smith showed plenty of potential during his debut season and could make a push for the inside role.
Ray returns after missing the majority of the last two seasons due to injury. The redshirt senior might have the most talent in Alabama’s unit, but his durability is starting to become a concern. Regardless of whether Ray can stay healthy, Alabama’s line should still have a senior presence as Mathis returns for his fifth year in the program. Eboigbe carved out a full-time starting role in his second season last year while Young has proven to be a nice rotational piece on the line.
In addition to its returning players, Alabama also brings in a talented defensive line class that features Rivals100 members Monkell Goodwine and Damon Payne.
Potential sleeper: Tim Smith
Outside of Barmore, Alabama’s defensive front was a bit toothless in terms of providing a pass rush. While Barmore’s eight sacks ranked second in the conference, the rest of the Tide’s line brought down opposing quarterbacks a combined four times. Alabama will need to see a dramatic uptick in that production if it wants to take its defense to the next level this season.
Smith could be the answer to that problem as he showed an elite blend of power and agility that could see him become Alabama’s next dominant force in the interior. The former Rivals100 member wasn’t always the most disciplined player on the field during his freshman year, but his potential was easy to spot. Appearing in 163 defensive snaps over nine games, he tallied 14 stops, including 2.5 for a loss with a sack. He also forced a fumble against Mississippi State.
Nick Saban, who generally shies away from doling out too much praise to freshmen, spoke favorably of Smith last year, stating that he showed plenty of potential moving forward. If the defensive tackle is able to mature and play assignment football he could be a vital piece in this year’s defense.
What to expect
Unlike other position groups, it’s hard to nail down an exact starting lineup across the defensive line. Assuming everyone stays healthy, Ray, Dale and Eboigbe figure to get the most first-team action. That being said, Mathis, Young and Smith should all see plenty of action as they rotate in certain packages.
As mentioned above, Alabama’s biggest need is developing more disruption up the middle. Earlier this month, Alabama director of sports science Dr. Matt Rhea posted a video of Dale appearing to show more explosion on his starts. That would be a big boost for the Tide. However, if the junior isn’t able to improve his pass-rushing abilities Alabama has plenty of other options to work with.
