Alabama Roster Rankings: Tide fans should stop sleeping on one second-level defender who brings SEC physicality and instincts
Alabama is pretty loaded up at off-ball linebacker, but fans shouldn’t forget about a once lower-rated high school recruit who displayed physicality and instincts during the spring.
Alabama's time at SEC Media Days has now come and gone, but we're still trucking along with our summer roster rankings where we break down almost every Crimson Tide player individually.
The only ones who won't be included are the three summer enrollees (Chuck McDonald, Kaleb Edwards and London Simmons) and freshman punter Alex Asparuhov, who was out this spring due to injury. That brings the total number to 78.
Previous roster rankings: Nos. 74-78, Nos. 70-73, Nos. 66-69; Nos. 62-65; Nos. 58-61; Nos. 54-57
No. 53 – OT Jackson Lloyd
Previous ranking: N/A
Lloyd is a big-time athlete for an offensive linemen. He was a multi-sport athlete in high school, playing football, basketball and baseball. While he's got premier height (6-foot-7) to be an offensive tackle, he doesn't appear to have elite length (reportedly just over 33-inch arms).
For comparison, Will Campbell from LSU was listed at 6-6, 319 pounds at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, but he had sub-33-inch arms (32 5/8) before somehow getting up to exactly 33 inches at his Pro Day. Many wondered if he'd be asked to move inside in the NFL, so maybe Lloyd will eventually face similar questions.
The lack of length shouldn't really affect him on the college level though. I mean, it never hurt another former five-star offensive lineman out of California in Jonah Williams. In fact, he's still playing tackle for the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL. Not only that, but he was an elite right tackle as a freshman at Alabama before becoming once of the SEC's top left tackles.
Lloyd's big, physical and he's an athlete. That's a near-perfect combination for Kalen DeBoer's offense. This spring also showed that he's closer to being ready to contribute than I originally thought. Obviously, a starting job isn't in the cards right now with Kadyn Proctor and Wilkin Formby returning. But while Olaus Alinen seems to have the upper hand in being Alabama's swing tackle early in 2025, I wouldn't be surprised if Lloyd eventually pushes him for that job. Or at the very least, he should push to be the backup left tackle.
Projected role in 2025: Depth LT early, swing OT later
No. 52 – LB QB Reese
Previous ranking: No. 55 (+7)
Outside of current tight end Jay Lindsey, Reese is the lowest-rated, non-special teams signee coming out of high school that Alabama has brought in since Michael Parker and Jaylen Moody in 2018. He was a late signing in the 2024 class, and his other top offers were from Arkansas State, UAB and UCF. And yet, I have him higher here than even some guys who were once rated four and five-star recruits.
To an extent, that was also the case prior to spring because I believed in his upside as a special teams contributor in 2025. But after witnessing glimpses of his development on A-Day, I've moved him up seven spots relative to where he was in the pre-spring rankings (No. 55 out of 59 players at that time). Reese is currently in a heated battle with Cayden Jones for that LB4 spot behind Lawson, Jefferson and Hill-Green.
Reese has always been a physical second-level defender, but his lack of size and length (only listed at 6-foot, 221 pounds as a freshman) made me wonder if that physicality could transition enough to the SEC. He's still only listed at 224 pounds on Alabama’s updated roster, but his frame seems more filled out than it was a year ago. Not only that, but he looks a lot better equipped to hold up in the SEC. He's got the flexibility to play MIKE or STINGER, and I still think he's going to be a solid contributor on special teams.
We need to stop sleeping on him.
Projected role in 2025: LB4-5/ST
No. 51 – LB Cayden Jones
Previous ranking: No. 45 (-2)
Jones only played 30 defensive snaps as a freshman, but he was solid on just about all of them. The 6-foot-4, 228-pound linebacker brings size and length to the position while also offering the flexibility to play some on the edge. Reese made the LB4 battle interesting during the spring, but Jones remains very much in the competition along with freshmen Abduall Sanders, Duke Johnson and Luke Metz.
Jones also saw 111 total snaps on special teams with 56 of those coming on kickoff coverage. That second number was good for fifth-most on the team, so he's considered an important part of the coverage units as a big-bodied defender who can run and hit. Good depth option for now who will continue to play special teams in 2025 before pushing for more linebacker snaps in 2026.
Projected role in 2025: LB4-5/ST
No. 50 – OL Olaus Alinen
Previous ranking: No. 44 (-2)
Alinen is an important piece of Alabama's roster for 2025. This is a former heavily sought-after recruit who ranked in the top-170 before committing to the Crimson Tide, and while he's only played 121 snaps in two seasons, he showed in the spring that he's got the positional flexibility to help at either guard or tackle.
In fact, Alinen was the first-team left tackle for most of the spring with starter Kadyn Proctor limited or out due to injury. And while there were a few growing pains early, he continued to get better as the spring went on before settling in nicely on A-Day. So while I still think he'll eventually be a better fit inside, having the ability to provide critical depth on the outside does nothing but help Alabama.
For now, I'd slot him in as Alabama's swing tackle who can fill in for Proctor or Wilkin Formby, but he'll be pushed by freshmen Jackson Lloyd (on the left side) and Michael Carroll (on the right side) in fall camp and into the season.
Projected role in 2025: Swing OT/depth IOL