Saban Discusses Alabama Left Tackle

Who is the elephant in the room?

Elijah Pritchett, 6-5, 312?

Kadyn Proctor, 6-7, 354?

Or, perhaps, JC Latham, 6-6, 335, who would move from where he has been?

We’re talking left tackle here.

When former Alabama All-America Sylvester Croom was head coach at Mississippi State, he was asked in a small gathering about his left tackle, “the most important position on the offensive line,” the questioner added.

Croom said, “First of all, I was a center and I coached centers, so do you think I’m going to say left tackle is the most important position on the offensive line?”

Not to split hairs, but as Nick Saban pointed out following Alabama’s first practice of 2023 preseason camp Thursday, “I think just because a guy is a left tackle, he doesn't have to do all the things that an offensive lineman has to do.”

Last year’s left tackle, Tyler Steen, is off to the NFL. Considering returning players on the offensive line, filling that left tackle spot seems to be most compelling.

JC Latham is back at right tackle (more about that in a moment), Javion Cohen transferred to Miami, but he had already been beaten out late last season by Tyler Booker, who is back for his sophomore year. Seth McLaughlin and Darrian Dalcourt were starting centers over the past two years, and early indications are that McLaughlin will be at center and Dalcourt at left guard, where Emil Ekiyor was the past couple of seasons.

Through most of last spring the odds seemed to be that redshirt freshman Elijah Pritchett would move into the role. He had very limited action last year -- a few snaps in two games, including winding down the Sugar Bowl win against Kansas State with a knockdown block.

There may be no worse way to judge football players than a spring game, but nevertheless there was a perception that Pritchett did not have a good outing in the A-Day Game.

Meanwhile, Kadyn Proctor, an early enrollee freshman in the spring, seemed to be a standout (6-7, 354 will do that for you in any event). He was ranked among the top five players nationally and the No. 1 offensive tackle by 247 Sports.

Some might think a true freshman couldn’t be trusted at the left tackle spot, but it has happened before.

As Saban pointed out, all of us know “that when you have right-handed quarterbacks (all of Bama’s top candidates are right-handed), obviously the left tackle is a little bit more important.”

And are we reading too much into this when he said, “But we're always going to try to scheme things so that if the other team has a significant pressure, we have ways to help guys”?

That leads to the possibility put forth -- not by Saban -- that Latham, a preseason All-Southeastern Conference offensive lineman -- might move from his right tackle spot to left tackle.

Generally speaking, Saban said, “He's got to be assignment-oriented, he's got to work the guys next to you in terms of how you're blocking -- whether it's run or pass. But I think pass blocking is important.

“But I think being a complete player at that position is important, too. You're moving on the run, being very assignment-oriented, not making a lot of mental errors so that you can execute and play winning football, down in and down out.

“That's the same at every position.”

Not as intriguing as the interest in the quarterback battle, but of great importance, the situation at left tackle will be on-going.