Alabama may have already filled one of its biggest holes on offense if early returns on star freshmen are accurate come the fall
At least one spot may have already been wrapped up before the competition could really begin in Tuscaloosa.
The Alabama Crimson Tide’s coaching staff knew that the product up front in 2025 simply wasn’t good enough. Ending the season with the second fewest rushing yards in the SEC signaled how bad things were on the ground, and judging by Ty Simpson’s injury status towards the end of the year, things weren’t much better in pass pro.
So Alabama hit the portal hard and rebuilt its trenches from the ground up. However, it’s a new starter who was waiting in the wings that’s generating all of the buzz on the offensive line in Tuscaloosa.
Jackson Lloyd stands out at LT in Alabama spring camp
“Nothing’s changed,” Lloyd said via the Alabama YouTube channel when asked about being named starter so early in camp. “Since the day I got here, I’ve been trying to be the best player I could be. So, I mean, I didn’t really pay attention to any of that, kind of kept the same mindset. Nothing changes for me.”
The former five-star from California redshirted last year as he waited in the wings behind Kadyn Proctor. He has top-5 pick in the NFL Draft kind of potential if he develops on the trajectory he’s on, something Proctor helped him with.
“Obviously, I wanna come in here and play, but I was behind what I believe is the best tackle in the country with Kadyn Proctor, and he taught me so much on the field and off the field,” Lloyd said. “So, it was a little disappointing I didn’t get to play, but I kind of took a step back and realized where I was. I felt like it was successful, and looking at it, how much I got better during that time.”
How new OL Coach Adrian Klemm is helping Alabama
Klemm was a big-time hire for Alabama this offseason. All of the additions are nothing without a voice in the room to lead them. Klemm has been that voice and then some early on in Tuscaloosa.
“He’s been doing great,” Lloyd said of Klemm. “He comes in, he brings a lot of energy on the field, coaches us really hard. Explains everything really well, like what we’re doing, why we’re doing it. And then off the field, he’s super easy to talk to. And then when you’re up in his office one-on-one, easy to talk to, and then you get feedback really well.”
A responsive coach and star LT is a great start to an offensive line overhaul in Tuscaloosa.
