Talk of the Tide: What is Alabama Getting in 2022 DT Jaheim Oatis?

Nick Saban still believes in the traditional massive, 300-plus pound nose tackle and that was evident in the Wednesday-evening commitment of Jaheim Oatis in the 2022 recruiting class.

Despite the average defensive lineman getting smaller, the value of having a brute-force run stopper and clogger is pivotal for how the Crimson Tide runs its defense.

When Saban first offered Oatis, he was in the eighth grade and his measurables came in at 6-foot-4 and 285 pounds. That was in the summer of 2017 and the rising senior now checks in at 6-foot-6 and over 340 pounds.

Sports Illustrated All-American recruiting director John Garcia Jr. believes the Columbia, Miss. product is similar to another fellow Mississippian who was selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft with the Miami Dolphins, Raekwon Davis.

"In what feels like a defensive centerpiece of yesteryear, the 6’4”, 350-pound prospect is impossible to miss at the prep level and will carry the same when he arrives in Tuscaloosa like fellow Mississippian Raekwon Davis did through his UA career," Garcia said. "The difference is Oatis is coming in with more classic interior defensive line traits and ability as opposed to the two-way nature of the current Miami Dolphin."

Welcome Alabama’s newest recruit Jaheim Oatis: https://t.co/mGIvjoUt1W
— Barstool Bama (@BarstoolAlabama) April 15, 2021

Other than Oatis' size, his strength and power will be most noticeable on the gridiron according to Garcia. As a junior, he amassed 65 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss, three sacks, three fumble recoveries and blocked four field goals.

"Oatis is a power prospect on the inside, with a better first step than his frame presents and enough power to occupy two blockers on routine, often resulting in penetration into the backfield anyway," Garcia added. "One one of his 2020 clips he carries an interior blocker with one arm en route to the actual ball carrier on a tackle for loss with the other, something perhaps I’ve never seen on tape. There is raw power, leverage power and finishing power all at play when the newest Crimson Tide pledge wants there to be."

While Oatis might not fit the bill for how defensive lineman are evolving in terms of weight, his freakish athleticism will likely carry him to an outstanding career in crimson and white.

"The scariest part of his game at this early juncture is that Oatis plays on a low plane despite the height and considerable weight, which he carries quite well, by the way," Garcia said. "While there is work to be done from a lateral and pass rush tool perspective, the ability to collapse the pocket and/or play straight on with dominance is available at will. This is the type of prospect that reminds the data-driven, numbers-based football community that there is still plenty of room for brute force because Oatis brings it in bunches."

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