How Michael Carroll Earned Alabama's Trust to Start as True Freshman

Carroll has started five games at right tackle for Alabama as a true freshman.

Nov 22, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer high fives Alabama Crimson Tide offensive lineman Michael Carroll (64) during the first half against the Eastern Illinois Panthers at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. | David Leong-Imagn Images

Alabama's offensive line has struggled mightily at times throughout the 2025 season. The Crimson Tide cycled through countless combinations and positional groupings to try to find a unit that could give Ty Simpson time to throw while unlocking the stagnant run game.

While the final result has still left much to be desired, one of the bright spots has come in the form of true freshman right tackle Michael Carroll Jr., who emerged as the Crimson Tide’s starting right tackle late in the season and was named to On3’s True Freshman All-American Team earlier this month.

“What he’s done as a true freshman is really impressive," offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic said. "It's hard to be a true freshman and play at this level of football. He's another guy who kept showing flashes, just kept getting better and earning the trust."

Carroll was a consensus five-star recruit, viewed as the top interior offensive lineman in the nation out of IMG Academy. Though recruited to play on the interior, his athleticism allowed him to transition quickly to tackle, a move that proved necessary as the season unfolded. After making his debut against Louisiana-Monroe in September, his role expanded week by week as Wilkin Formby continued to struggle at right tackle, leading to the 6-foot-6 freshman starting five of Alabama’s final seven games.

"We played him a little bit early in the season, and he was showing good reps, and he got to the point where we felt like he was one of our five best, and we needed to get him on the field," Kapilovic said. "He’s still got a huge ceiling of development for him that he can become this really exceptional player. But what he's been able to handle as a true freshman has been impressive.”

It was unknown how much Carroll would play this season, as is often the case with offensive linemen adjusting to the SEC level. Carroll cited the leadership from the veterans on the line, including left tackle Kadyn Proctor, who started as a freshman two years ago, as being a catalyst for his success this season.

"We have so many older guys, so it's just helped me develop in so many ways, from my maturity level to my skills on the football field," Carroll said. "The physical aspect was challenging, but also the mental aspect of learning the entire college playbook was definitely difficult, but Alabama did such a good job preparing me."

Carroll came to Tuscaloosa as part of an extremely talented 2024 recruiting class. Jackson Lloyd, the other five-star lineman that Alabama signed last year, has developed right alongside Carroll and seen his growth firsthand.

"It's great. We're always competing," Lloyd said of his relationship with Carroll. "Whether it was the weight room or conditioning, sprints, we're always competing with each other, and competition brings out the best in you."

Lloyd has served as Proctor's backup this season and figures to be the starting left tackle next year as the junior presumably moves on to the NFL. The pair has also grown extremely close with freshman running back AK Dear, another assumed key piece of Alabama's future.

"We're real tight," Dear said. "We came in at the same time, so we're really close. We're looking forward to being some of the best players to come through Alabama."

Carroll has all of the tools to be the next great Alabama offensive lineman, already boasting elite lateral movement for his size. The offseason will provide Carroll with a chance to grow stronger and develop his football IQ, but he believes the biggest changes next season will come in his leadership.

"I'm ready to step into that leadership role," Carroll said. "I want to be a vocal leader heading into next year."

Carroll stated that his goal is to one day be an All-American at the university. With Proctor and numerous other starters leaving this offseason, his emergence provides Alabama with a young cornerstone as it looks to retool an offensive line in desperate need of consistency.

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