Alabama OL Coach Has 'No Problem' Continuing Tackle Competition into Season

Kapilovic told reporters on Saturday that he would be okay continuing competitions as the season begins later this month.

The Alabama offensive line practices on August 3, 2024 / Alabama Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — While the interior of the Alabama offensive line is seen as one of the best in the country entering the 2024 season, the two tackle positions are much more up in the air.

The Crimson Tide returns both starting guards in Tyler Booker and Jaeden Roberts, while also bringing in Washington center Parker Brailsford from the transfer portal to be the team's signal-caller up front.

On the outside, Alabama lost J.C. Latham to the NFL, and while left tackle Kadyn Proctor is back, he spent a brief stint in Iowa City and missed spring ball while he was a member of the Hawkeyes.

Following Alabama's third practice of fall camp on Saturday, offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic said he has no issue with the ongoing competitions at the left and right tackle spots, and said he could very well see the competition continuing even as the season begins.

"We have to rotate these guys around. I really like to get into that first scrimmage and see who’s — hopefully somebody’s separating themselves," Kapilovic said. "But my hope is that we’re gonna have competition, not just at that tackle position but all positions — into the season. I’d have no problem if we’re gonna play three tackles going in early into the season to see who can be the guy to get it done."

Proctor is certainly going to be one of those three tackles in position to earn one of those two spots. A former 5-star with a behemoth-like frame at 6-foot-7, Proctor has been praised for his attitude and mentality since returning to the Crimson Tide program.

“When you watch the tape from last year, there were some rough spots early in the season. I’ll tell you, a lesser kid probably would have caved in and said ‘I need out.’ But he really improved throughout the year, so that was great," Kapilovic said. "Missing spring ball isn’t optimal if you’re a young guy, but he worked hard this summer, and I’m seeing good things from him. He’s open to coaching. He’s slimmed his body down a little bit more. I expect him to take off from where he left us, and compete for that spot, and be a dominant player that he’s capable of."

Another player in position to compete for a tackle spot is redshirt sophomore Elijah Pritchett, who split time with Proctor at left tackle last season, but ultimately lost the job. Kapilovic spoke to Pritchett's versatility and beneficial ability to play on either the left or the right side.

"He can play both sides, and that’s critical for us," Kapilovic said. "And I’ll tell you, that’s a kid that’s made huge strides for us since the first day I was here. He’s a big, strong kid. He’s got good feet. He’s athletic. He can do anything you want a tackle to do. For him it’s about getting comfortable in the scheme, really trusting what he knows and does, and playing at a high level on a consistent basis. He has the potential to do that."

Redshirt freshman Wilkin Formby is another player presumed to be in competition for a starting tackle spot, having spent time with the starting unit during spring practice and in the A-Day game.

Regardless of which players emerge as the starters and when the starting unit materializes, offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan expressed positive remarks about the room through the first couple days of camp.

"Today was the first day that we put pads on, so we'll go back and watch the film. But those guys are doing a good job," Sheridan said. "Coach Kap has done a great job of developing them since spring until now. Just like all positions, we've got a long way to go, but I've seen a lot of good play out of that room in particular the first few days, but like I said, we just put pads on today for the first time, so we'll go back and take a look at the film and see what it looked like."

Only time will tell when the starting tackles become clear, but Kapilovic has made it known that he's not worried about the overall timing of the decision, only making the right one.