Bryce Young Excited about Alabama Adding Depth at OL with Transfer Tyler Steen
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama received another big boost from the transfer portal Tuesday when Vanderbilt offensive tackle Tyler Steen announced that he would be joining the Crimson Tide as a grad transfer.
Offensive line is a position group that has been hampered throughout the spring with injuries. Alabama quarterback Bryce Young said he's seen them working hard, and he's excited about the addition of Steen.
"Anytime we can get help in a position like that it’s huge," Young said on Tuesday. "This spring has been really, really tough on our offensive lineman with us having the small amount of numbers that we've had throughout practice. I'm super proud of those guys and how they've competed and how they've worked. The amount of linemen we’ve had, and the amount of reps they’ve gotten is something I’ve never seen before. And they’ve done it all without complaining.
"And I’m glad that when spring’s over where gonna get Darian [Dalcourt,] E[mil Ekiyor,] we’re gonna get James [Brockermeyer] back, and now we’re going to have one more, so it’s definitely going to help our depth. I'm excited for for him to come in."
Head coach Nick Saban spoke before Alabama's second scrimmage about the current lack of depth along the line with all the injuries. According to Saban, there are only 10-11 healthy offensive linemen, so guys have had to rotate to different spots, taking a lot of reps.
Steen has 33 career starts at the tackle position and is expected to compete for the starting job at Alabama. Last week Saban said the tackle position had not yet been locked down because there has been so much movement around the line.
"We don’t have enough offensive linemen that everybody doesn’t have to sort of rotate around and do different things," Saban said. "So we’ll continue to evaluate. Guys are making progress. But it hasn’t settled down because we have a lot of guys – we only have 10, 11 guys that are able to practice on the offensive line.
"I think the diversity that we gain from the experience that guys get at various positions is probably more important right now than worrying about what you’re worried about. But we do have some guys that are making progress at tackle and hopefully they’ll continue to improve throughout the spring."
Saban has grown quite accustomed to the new transfer portal rules in college football, adding players like Jameson Williams, Henry To'oTo'o, Eli Ricks, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jermaine Burton and now Steen.
Current Alabama linebacker Jaylen Moody entered the transfer portal himself in the offseason before deciding to stay at Alabama. He said the process is different for everyone, but it has grown to show him that the people at Alabama really want to be there.
"A lot of guys being here now, I see a lot of guys that want to be here," Moody said. "Alabama’s a special place. It does a lot of things for people to put you in a position where you want to be, especially getting to the next level. I see a lot of guys trying to use it to better themselves."
Steen is the next player in a list of guys who guys who hopes to use a stop in Tuscaloosa to better himself before moving on to the next level. He will be immediately eligible in the fall, but is not yet on campus and will not participate in the A-Day game on Saturday.
Photo | Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports
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