Alabama Young Offensive Linemen 'Stepping Up' in Ongoing Rotation

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama has been constantly substituting players in and out of games this season across numerous positions.

Of course, these are typical decisions for any football team at every level, but perhaps it's better for the offensive line to remain the same five players for a heavy majority of the game. However, the Crimson Tide is four games in and has yet to establish this quintet on Saturdays.

"Yeah, we’re just still not where we want to be yet," Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said on Monday. "It’s really that simple. And so I know the gel part, but we also have guys that wear down a little bit, so try to keep guys as fresh as possible, and at the same time find the best five."

The Crimson Tide has utilized younger reserves like Michael Carroll and Will Sanders in the trenches, and it was very apparent during the win over Georgia. Despite the frequent substitutions, Alabama allowed just one sack this past Saturday, and Carroll and Sanders were big reasons for the Tide's success.

"I've seen guys kind of step up," Alabama center Parker Brailsford said on Tuesday. "A lot of the time it's techniques or things that they're not used to that they're coming along with. They're picking up how to work double teams and things like that.

Sanders is a redshirt freshman who played in two games as a reserve in his freshman season, logging snaps against Western Kentucky and Mercer. He made some noise during the summer and spring for his improvement, and the 308-pounder also lined up at tight end for a couple of offseason practices when the position group was thin due to injuries.

"I think Will Sanders has done a great job," Brailsford said when asked which offensive lineman has stood out the past couple of games. "He's competed, he's worked himself up to being in the conversation to be a starter and I feel like he's done a really good job."

Carroll is a true freshman, and the former five-star recruit has been making strides since he arrived in Tuscaloosa. Right tackle Wilkin Formby and the rest of the starting front five played every snap of the Florida State game, but he was switching on and off with Carroll in both the ULM and Wisconsin contests. Carroll played a good chunk of snaps against Georgia and didn't allow a single pressure.

"Just like learning new techniques," Brailsford said about Carroll's growth. "Being invested in the playbook a little bit more. We're trying to get him going for sure. But he's done a better job of just stepping up, for sure."

Grubb, head coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic used a different combination against the Bulldogs, as there were times that Sanders was at left guard, Carroll lined up at right tackle and Formby moved to right guard. Brailsford was a fan of Formby's position switch, as the redshirt sophomore has struggled a bit as a tackle to start the season.

"I feel like a lot of tackles can play guard, honestly, but [Formby] has length, for sure," Brailsford said. "He's got really long arms. That definitely helps him.

"[Sanders and Formby] stepped up a lot. They've competed really well. When you watch practice, they've just done a really good job. Will, he's starting to come along really nicely and I think he's going to be a good player, for sure."

Nevertheless, although this pairing worked well together in Athens, Ga., as previously stated, Grubb is still not completely satisfied with the front five and there will likely be more combinations to come against Vanderbilt this Saturday.

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