Alabama OL Jaeden Roberts Seeks to Carry 2023 Growth Into 2024 Season
One of the most improved players on Alabama's 2023 football team wants to keep going in 2024.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Improvement was one of the most prevalent themes during the 2023 Alabama football season. The team overcame early struggles to secure an SEC title game victory over Georgia and a berth in the final four-team iteration of the College Football Playoff. Individual players made strides as well, and one of those players was guard Jaeden Roberts.
By season's end, the current redshirt junior had become a fixture on the offensive line. The pure strength of the Houston native was on full display. After playing in just three of the Crimson Tide's first five contests, he entered the Rose Bowl with eight consecutive starts under his belt at right guard.
Roberts' success last season motivates him, but the 316-pounder has eyes on the future and helping anchor the first offense of the Kalen DeBoer era.
"It makes me really motivated, just with all the new staff and the new players," he said. "We're just trying to keep growing, keep improving. We're getting closer and closer to our goals, but every day we're just trying to find the little things, get better on everything."
New Alabama offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan is impressed with Roberts on multiple fronts.
"What a great kid," Sheridan said about Roberts. "You just talk about a worker. Strong, extremely strong. I think he's just building on the foundation that he's had with the experiences that he's had. But a great kid. A joy to coach. Tough and hardworking. And strong. Did I mention strong?"
Footwork, hand placement and eye coordination were areas Roberts listed as some he wants to make strides in. He pointed to communication amongst the offensive line as something that helped him progress last fall, and he wants to help the younger players in the room in this respect.
"That's what I'm trying to do for the younger guys," he said. "Everybody's new and fresh. Everybody probably won't communicate as well, but that's just one thing I want to do for everybody else and for myself."
He describes the mentality the offensive line is hoping to establish as "being a beast," getting the job done no matter which players are across from them.
"We're really focusing on mentality and what our jobs are," Roberts said. "Mentality's gonna play a huge thing going against good D-lines. You just gotta beat the person in front of you."
Roberts, as well as other veteran linemen like Tyler Booker, are doing their best to impart the standard to the players coming in. They're excited for the individual talents brought to the position group, and excited about offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic.
"It's amazing. For a O-line coach, we need a coach like that. Very intense, very detailed, ready to go every day," Roberts said.
In the short term, Roberts hopes to use the spring to improve as an athlete and person, as well as mentoring his teammates, whom he called "my guys," and honing his leadership skills even further. Another item on the agenda? "Trying to kick butt," in the spring and in the fall.
