Alabama’s offensive line is heading into the season with a different look, and the biggest shift involves the one returnee who knows the most about playing on Saturdays. Michael Carroll, the Crimson Tide’s lone returning starter up front, has moved from tackle to guard as new offensive line coach Adrian Klemm tries to reshape a unit that struggled badly in 2025.
Carroll isn’t making a fuss about it. He’s embracing the change as part of what Alabama needs.
"It's for the betterment of the football team," Carroll said of the move. "I'm a football guy.
It doesn't matter to me. I'll play whatever my team needs to win games.
So I'm excited to be playing guard and excited to get this run game going this year."
That run game has a long way to go after Alabama finished last season with a historically low 104.1 rushing yards per game. Carroll, ranked as 247's No. 1 interior offensive lineman in the 2025 cycle, is expected to be central to any turnaround.
The move to guard was made early, and Carroll said that helped him settle in quickly after already spending time at tackle.
"That's one thing I was probably thankful for," Carroll said. "Like, all right, at least they let me know early in the year, so I can adapt and get ready for my sophomore season. So, definitely a good thing that they told me before everything got rolling."
There’s still one spot unsettled next to him at left guard, where William Sanders and Mal Waldrep are battling for the job. Waldrep appears to have the edge right now and has been one of the biggest surprises of fall camp, making a jump that has stood out to both coaches and teammates.
"He's stepped up and been very physical," Carroll said. "He had that pride about him and that effort and aggression, and also being intelligent and communicating well amongst the offensive line. So that definitely stuck out to the coaches, and it stuck out to me as well."
The rest of the group is still coming together, and the inexperience is obvious. Waldrep and left tackle Jackson Lloyd have never started before, while center Racin Delgatty arrived from FCS Cal Poly. That leaves Carroll and right tackle Jayvin James, a Mississippi State transfer, as the only linemen who have started FBS games.
Klemm’s group has spent the offseason getting pushed by a more experienced defensive line, and the battles have gotten chippy in the best way. Devan Thompkins said the trash talk is part of the daily grind.
"I talk a mess to them a lot every single day," defensive lineman Devan Thompkins said. "Jayvin, Michael Carroll, Racin Delgatty, I talk mess to them, and they talk mess back. But it's all competitive love, for real."
With Alabama’s opener against East Carolina just ten days away, the starting five is nearly set. That means the pressure is about to shift from competition to performance for a line that will be watched closely from the first snap.
"I'm excited to be solidified and have continuity on the offensive line," Carroll said. "We're getting ready to go dominate."
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