Alabama’s quarterback race between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell will grab the spotlight when fall camp opens, but the bigger swing factor for the 2026 season may be the group in front of them.
That’s where the uncertainty lives for the Crimson Tide. The confidence level around Mack or Russell is one thing. The offensive line is another story entirely.
Alabama brings back only one player who started games a season ago, and that’s rising sophomore Michael Carroll. He is expected to line up at either right guard or right tackle, depending on how the rest of the competition shakes out around him. Beyond Carroll, every other starting spot is up for grabs.
That reality is exactly why so many questions are hanging over the unit. AL.com’s Nick Kelly said Monday on the 3 Man Front radio show that he needs to see improvement before buying in.
" I have to see it to believe it," Kelly said about the Tide's offensive line improving in 2026. "I am still a bit worried about that group, more than any other. ...
Change can be a good thing, but change does not necessarily equate to progress. So that will be the key for Adrian Klemm, the new offensive line coach, to make sure that he gets out of this group."
Kelly said he feels good about Carroll, which lines up with the general view around the program. The rest of the line, though, is where the uncertainty starts.
At left tackle, Alabama is expected to go with rising sophomore Jackson Lloyd. A highly regarded member of the 2025 recruiting class, Lloyd is being counted on for a major role, but he has almost no game experience and will be protecting the blindside for either Mack or Russell.
The center spot is projected to belong to Cal Poly transfer Racin Delgatty. Kelly pointed out that Delgatty is already well regarded inside the program, but the jump from the Big West to the SEC is a real one.
Two more jobs remain unsettled. Rising junior Will Sanders is viewed as the likely choice at left guard, though he missed all of spring practice with an injury and is expected to be healthy when fall camp begins.
On the right side, the most likely setup has Carroll at right guard and Mississippi State transfer Jayvin James at right tackle. James arrives with 21 games of starting experience from stops at Mississippi State and Toledo.
Even so, he is not alone in the mix. Alabama also has SEC transfers Ethan Fields from Ole Miss and Nick Brooks from Texas in the conversation for one of those openings.
Kelly also noted that, on paper, Alabama seems to be moving closer to the kind of offensive line that worked for DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb at Washington.
"I will say, slowly but surely, Alabama is getting the type of offensive linemen that worked well for the DeBoer-Grubb system, so that can be a good thing," Kelly said.
DeBoer and Grubb made the call to nearly overhaul the line after the 2025 season, a move that followed one of the worst rushing seasons in school history and the constant pressure Ty Simpson dealt with.
Now the question is whether those changes will pay off. The answer won’t come in projections or camp chatter. It will come on the field.
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