The wait for Alabama football will soon be over as the Crimson Tide announced it will begin its fall camp on Friday. The Tide will hold 23 practices as well as two closed scrimmages as it gears up for its season-opener against Miami on Sept. 4 inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The next month will be pivotal in determining how Alabama lines up this season. Before the Tide breaks for camp, BamaInsider will examine each position group by taking a look at two key storylines. Today we continue the series with the defensive line.
On the surface, rushing the passer shouldn’t be a problem for Alabama this season. While the Tide loses its sack leader in Christian Barmore, it returns one of the nation’s top pass-rushing duos in Will Anderson Jr. and Christopher Allen coming off the edge.
Those two are sure to continue causing nightmares for opposing quarterbacks after combining for 14 sacks and 13 quarterback hurries last season. The difficulty Alabama will face is matching that pass-rushing presence in the interior, something Barmore excelled at.
Over the past two seasons, Barmore led all Power Five defensive linemen with a combined 92.2 pass-rush grade and a 19.7% win rate, according to Pro Football Focus. The 6-foot-5, 310-pound defensive tackle accounted for eight of Alabama’s 35 sacks last season, twice as many as the rest of the Tide’s defensive linemen combined.
Interior pass rush is crucial in today’s game as offenses are getting rid of the ball at a quicker rate. The quickest route to the quarterback is a straight line, so linemen with the ability to get past the line up the middle are at a premium. Fortunately for Alabama, it has a pair of ready pass-rushers who fit the bill.
The Tide’s best bets in replacing Barmore’s production come in redshirt senior Phidarian Mathis and sophomore Tim Smith. While that duo combined for just 2.5 sacks last season, both players demonstrated the ability to wreak havoc up the middle.
Mathis, 6-foot-4, 312 pounds ranked second on the team behind Barmore with a 79.5 pass-rush grade from PFF. Meanwhile, Smith, 6-foot-4, 320 pounds, is projected by many to follow in the footsteps of Daron Payne and Quinnen Williams as Alabama’s next first-round pick at the position.
Alabama also returns junior D.J. Dale, who is entering his third season as a starter at nose guard. The 6-foot-3, 307-pounder has primarily served as a run-stuffer throughout his career but appears to have addded more explosiveness to his game this offseason.
LaBryan Ray is another player capable of aiding Alabama’s inside pass rush. Then again, it’s difficult to project what the former No. 1 player in the state of Alabama will offer the Tide during his final season with the program.
Two years ago, Ray appeared to be on the verge of becoming Alabama’s next star defender as he was coming off a sophomore season in which he registered 39 tackles, including 5.5 for a loss with 2.5 sacks. However, a series of injuries have limited the 6-foot-5, 295-pound defensive lineman to a combined 21 stops, including two for a loss and 1.5 sacks over the past two seasons.
During the spring, Ray said he is beginning to feel like himself as he continues to recover from an elbow injury that caused him to miss six games last season. The senior stated that he’s entering his final year with the program looking to prove to himself and his teammates that he can maintain a high level of play over the course of a full season.
“LaBryan Ray is a guy that we have a tremendous amount of confidence in,” head coach Nick Saban said during SEC Media Days last month. “He’s a mature player. He’s a very good player. He can add a tremendous amount to our defense. Certainly has struggled through his career because of injury. He’s had several injuries that have kept him off the field, at least half the season last year and we only played him situationally toward the end of the season to try to keep him healthy.
“But he’s a guy that has a lot of potential, a lot of ability. Can really add a lot of maturity, leadership and performance to our defense. Hopefully he can stay healthy this year and have the kind of year that I know he’s worked hard to be able to have.”
The next month will be pivotal in determining how Alabama lines up this season. Before the Tide breaks for camp, BamaInsider will examine each position group by taking a look at two key storylines. Today we continue the series with the defensive line.
How will Alabama replace Christian Barmore’s inside pass rush?
On the surface, rushing the passer shouldn’t be a problem for Alabama this season. While the Tide loses its sack leader in Christian Barmore, it returns one of the nation’s top pass-rushing duos in Will Anderson Jr. and Christopher Allen coming off the edge.
Those two are sure to continue causing nightmares for opposing quarterbacks after combining for 14 sacks and 13 quarterback hurries last season. The difficulty Alabama will face is matching that pass-rushing presence in the interior, something Barmore excelled at.
Over the past two seasons, Barmore led all Power Five defensive linemen with a combined 92.2 pass-rush grade and a 19.7% win rate, according to Pro Football Focus. The 6-foot-5, 310-pound defensive tackle accounted for eight of Alabama’s 35 sacks last season, twice as many as the rest of the Tide’s defensive linemen combined.
Interior pass rush is crucial in today’s game as offenses are getting rid of the ball at a quicker rate. The quickest route to the quarterback is a straight line, so linemen with the ability to get past the line up the middle are at a premium. Fortunately for Alabama, it has a pair of ready pass-rushers who fit the bill.
The Tide’s best bets in replacing Barmore’s production come in redshirt senior Phidarian Mathis and sophomore Tim Smith. While that duo combined for just 2.5 sacks last season, both players demonstrated the ability to wreak havoc up the middle.
Mathis, 6-foot-4, 312 pounds ranked second on the team behind Barmore with a 79.5 pass-rush grade from PFF. Meanwhile, Smith, 6-foot-4, 320 pounds, is projected by many to follow in the footsteps of Daron Payne and Quinnen Williams as Alabama’s next first-round pick at the position.
Alabama also returns junior D.J. Dale, who is entering his third season as a starter at nose guard. The 6-foot-3, 307-pounder has primarily served as a run-stuffer throughout his career but appears to have addded more explosiveness to his game this offseason.
What should we expect from LaBryan Ray?
LaBryan Ray is another player capable of aiding Alabama’s inside pass rush. Then again, it’s difficult to project what the former No. 1 player in the state of Alabama will offer the Tide during his final season with the program.
Two years ago, Ray appeared to be on the verge of becoming Alabama’s next star defender as he was coming off a sophomore season in which he registered 39 tackles, including 5.5 for a loss with 2.5 sacks. However, a series of injuries have limited the 6-foot-5, 295-pound defensive lineman to a combined 21 stops, including two for a loss and 1.5 sacks over the past two seasons.
During the spring, Ray said he is beginning to feel like himself as he continues to recover from an elbow injury that caused him to miss six games last season. The senior stated that he’s entering his final year with the program looking to prove to himself and his teammates that he can maintain a high level of play over the course of a full season.
“LaBryan Ray is a guy that we have a tremendous amount of confidence in,” head coach Nick Saban said during SEC Media Days last month. “He’s a mature player. He’s a very good player. He can add a tremendous amount to our defense. Certainly has struggled through his career because of injury. He’s had several injuries that have kept him off the field, at least half the season last year and we only played him situationally toward the end of the season to try to keep him healthy.
“But he’s a guy that has a lot of potential, a lot of ability. Can really add a lot of maturity, leadership and performance to our defense. Hopefully he can stay healthy this year and have the kind of year that I know he’s worked hard to be able to have.”
