2023 Alabama Crimson Tide Position Preview: Defensive Line

The 2023 Alabama football defensive line is ripe with talent, with both experienced players and young players seeking to make their mark.

Questions remain abound concerning positional outlooks for the 2023 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, and as the regular season rapidly approaches, Nick Saban’s 17th squad at the Capstone has one thing in common with many of the others. The team is strong defensively.

That all starts at the line of scrimmage with the players who help set the tone, play in and play out, using a combination of athleticism and pure strength—the defensive linemen.

Alabama has 15 players rostered at the position for the 2023 campaign, and the group is a relatively young one. Notable departures from the 2022 team include Byron Young and D.J. Dale, who have each joined the NFL’s ranks, and Jamil Burroughs, who entered the transfer portal this summer after issues off the field brought about the end of his multi-year stint with the program.

While the loss of an experienced player stings, the Crimson Tide does get a big one back in the form of Justin Eboigbe, who was limited to just four games last season before a neck injury sidelined him. Prior to that, he had played well enough to be named to the Outland Trophy watch list and posted 11 tackles. His return adds both leadership and experience to the position group, not to mention the fact that his play was of a high level.

Tim Smith is the only other senior on the defensive line, starting in seven games in 2022 and recording 20 tackles to go with one sack. The Florida native has played in every game for each of the last two seasons. He has 58 total tackles in his Alabama career and knows what it takes to play when the lights get bright. He had a trio of tackles, with one for loss and a half-sack, in the Crimson Tide’s loss to eventual SEC West champion LSU.

The Alabama coaching staff also has to feel good about Jaheim Oatis, who was an impact player at nose guard as a freshman in 2022. Oatis made headlines after losing around 100 pounds in order to be able to play. He started 10 of the Crimson Tide’s 13 games last season and had eight tackles in a road victory over Arkansas (24 total). His ceiling appears to be very high. Together with Eboigbe, Jah-Marien Latham and Smith, Oatis is one fourth of the most experienced tandem of players on the defensive line.

A number of other players got in on the action in 2022, including Latham (12 games, five tackles), Damon Payne Jr. (six games, seven tackles), Tim Keenan III (two games, one tackle), Monkell Goodwine (two games) and Isaiah Hastings (one game). The freshmen are Hunter Osborne, James Smith, Billy Roby, Jordan Renaud and Edric Hill.

A pair of players—Khurtiss Perry and Anquin Barnes Jr.—were with the program in 2022 but did not play in any games.

The defensive line is not an overly experienced position group, but said group is not light on talent. Eboigbe’s return is huge, and the continued emergence of Oatis is a major plus. Alongside them, many other players are looking to step up and place their stamp on this defense. It’ll be important that they do, as the SEC is as robust as it’s ever been—if not more so. 

Projected Depth Chart 

Defensive End

1. Tim Smith (Sr.)
2. Jah-Marien Latham (Jr.)

Defensive Tackle/Nose Guard

1. Jaheim Oatis (So.)
2. James Smith (Fr.) or Tim Keenan (RSo).

Defensive End

1. Justin Eboigbe (Sr.)
2. Damon Payne Jr. (So.)

2023 Crimson Tide Defensive Linemen

Anquin Barnes Jr.

Redshirt sophomore, 6'5", 314 lbs

Barnes, an in-state product from Montgomery, Ala., is entering his third season with the program. He has yet to see playing time.

Justin Eboigbe

Redshirt senior, 6'5", 292 lbs

One of the biggest returns on the 2023 roster, Eboigbe is looking to pick up where he left off through four games in 2022. He had 11 tackles and was on the Outland Trophy watch list before a neck injury cut his season short. He is one of the leaders of this position group in 2023 and is among its most experienced players. His comeback adds a new dimension to the defense as a whole, one it missed in conference play last season.

Monkell Goodwine

Redshirt sophomore, 6'4", 290 lbs

Goodwine made his 2022 debut in the midst of SEC football's biggest rivalry game, the Iron Bowl. He also played in a pair of 2021 contests. In a young group, he is one of the players capable of stepping into a larger role for the 2023 season.

Isaiah Hastings

Redshirt freshman, 6'4", 290 lbs

The Toronto product played in a single game in 2022, logging his first Crimson Tide tackle against ULM. He's also someone whose role could expand this season, with a year under his belt already.

Edric Hill

Freshman, 6'3", 294 lbs

Hill is one of several newcomers to the Alabama defensive line. The 4-star was the No. 2-rated prospect in Missouri prior to officially joining Crimson Tide.

Tim Keenan III

Redshirt sophomore, 6'2", 338 lbs

In 2022, his second season with the program, Keenan played in two games and made his debut in SEC play against Vanderbilt. He also had one tackle against ULM.

Jah-Marien Latham

Redshirt junior, 6'3", 275 lbs

Latham first played all the way back in the 2020 season, starting out with a squad that would eventually go on to win the national title with a perfect record. Since then, he has amassed playing time in another 16 games, with five career tackles to his name. He appeared in 12 of 13 games in 2022 and had four tackles.

Jaheim Oatis

Sophomore, 6'5", 338 lbs

Oatis was a standout player in his freshman season in 2022, playing at nose guard after losing around 100 pounds. He started in 10 games and logged 29 tackles and one sack. He was named to the Freshman All-SEC team. He's a major piece in this defensive unit whose ceiling appears very high.

Hunter Osborne

Freshman, 6'4", 275 lbs

The former No. 13 prospect in the state stayed home after completing his high school career at Hewitt-Trussville. He is going into his first collegiate season.

Damon Payne Jr.

Redshirt sophomore, 6'4", 303 lbs

Payne played six games for the 2022 Crimson Tide, earning seven tackles. He played in three conference games and had a pair of tackles in the Sugar Bowl. 

Khurtiss Perry

Redshirt freshman, 6'2", 265 lbs

The former 4-star prospect has yet to appear in a game heading into his second season. An in-state player who came to the Crimson Tide by way of Pike Road, Perry was once rated among the top five recruits in the state by ESPN.

Jordan Renaud

Freshman, 6'4", 261 lbs

Another newcomer, Renaud was offered by multiple SEC schools, including Auburn and Georgia, before signing with the Crimson Tide. He's considered to be among the elite defensive players in his signing class, and at the top of the heap when it comes to defensive linemen. 

Billy Roby

Freshman, 5'11", 245 lbs

Huntsville's Roby joins a long list of new Crimson Tide players whose ties to the state date back to their high school days. He's also a member of a group of incoming true freshmen that numbers five in total.

James Smith

Freshman, 6'3", 296 lbs

One of Alabama's 2023 5-star recruits, Smith was thought to be one of the best defensive prospects in the nation and rated the third-best prospect in the state by ESPN. The Montgomery product has enormous potential, and enrolled early. He impressed a lot of teammates during spring practices. 

Tim Smith

Senior, 6'4", 302 lbs

Smith played in every game of the 2022 season, logging 20 tackles, including one sack and 2.5 tackles for loss. For his career, he has appeared in 37 games, including nine during the championship season in 2020, and has 58 total tackles. His experience brings a lot to this particular group. He's appeared in every Alabama game during the last two seasons.

See Also:

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