Bruce Feldman’s annual college football “freaks list” landed Monday, and Alabama showed up in familiar fashion. Four Crimson Tide players made the cut among the 101 names, with RB Daniel Hill, OT Jackson Lloyd, WR Ryan Coleman-Williams and S Bray Hubbard all earning spots.
The two names that matter most for Alabama’s offense are Hill and Lloyd.
The Tide’s biggest offensive question is still the run game. Ryan Grubb has already said Alabama is going to fix it this year, and that push starts up front with a revamped offensive line and a backfield that has to produce more than it did a season ago.
Lloyd is the highest-ranked Alabama player on Feldman’s list, coming in at No. 13 overall. He’s also in line to step into a huge job: replacing Kadyn Proctor, the freakish athletic left tackle who was the No. 12 overall pick by the Miami Dolphins in April’s NFL Draft.
Alabama has had Lloyd slotted in as Proctor’s replacement since early spring, and the buzz around him has been there from the start. He arrived as a former Top 50 recruit, and the staff’s confidence seems tied to the kind of numbers that jump off the page.
Feldman reported that Lloyd benches over 500 pounds, squats 760 and power cleans 365. His testing numbers are just as loud, with a 33-inch vertical and a 9'6" broad jump.
That’s a different kind of left tackle than Proctor, and it may fit the direction Kalen DeBoer wants to take the offense. Lloyd isn’t as massive, but the expectation is that he can move better and help shape an offensive line built more in the mold of the ones DeBoer has had success with before.
Hill is chasing his own leap. He’s trimmed a little weight this offseason in hopes of playing with more explosiveness, and that matters because Alabama needs more than just a crease - it needs backs who can turn a small opening into a real play. The line still has to create that first window, but Hill is trying to be the kind of runner who can break things open once it appears.
If Hill makes that jump, and if 5-star freshman EJ Crowell gives Alabama immediate production, the Tide’s ground game has a chance to look a lot different. Better, at the very least. And if the run game becomes a real weapon again, Alabama’s offense gets the balance it needs to stack up with the best teams in the country.
In Other News...
Yhonzae Pierre Just Put Alabama In A Big 2026 Conversation
Todd McShays latest look ahead to the 2026 NFL Draft gives Alabama another sign that its pass-rush pipeline is staying firmly in the national conversation. The NFL Draft analyst recently stacked his top six college edge rushers for that class, and the SEC showed up in force, with names like South Carolinas Dylan Stewart and Texas Colin Simmons leading the way alongside Alabamas Yhonzae Pierre.
For the Crimson Tide, Pierre landing in that mix is the kind of recognition that can change how the rest of the sport talks about a defender before the season even gets rolling. Stewart has already been slowed by a back injury in camp, while Simmons comes in after leading the SEC in sacks last season, but Pierres presence on McShays list suggests Alabama could have a real early say in how the top of the 2026 edge market takes shape. [Read more 🡒]
EJ Crowell Is Building The Alabama Buzz Fans Have Been Waiting For
Fall camp has a way of sorting out the newcomers, and EJ Crowell is making sure Alabamas coaches and teammates keep talking about him. The 5-star freshman running back arrived with plenty of hype, and even before he has taken a college snap that counts, he has already started to look like one of the more intriguing young pieces on the roster. For a team that always seems to be searching for the next difference-maker at the position, Crowells early buzz has given Tide fans something to watch closely.
The challenge now is turning that promise into trust, especially after a spring that was limited by injury and a position where all-around reliability matters as much as burst. Crowell is expected to compete for playing time, but the path to meaningful snaps will depend on how quickly he rounds out his game, particularly in pass protection. If he keeps building the way he has through camp, Alabama may have found a freshman whose impact arrives sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama May Have Found An Under The Radar 2027 Defensive Line Target
Alabamas 2027 defensive line board has been relatively quiet so far, but Jeremiah Mark is the kind of name that can change the feel of a class early. The Picayune, Mississippi, prospect is unranked for now, yet the Crimson Tide have already put a scholarship on the table after he recently returned to football following a stretch centered on basketball. For a staff that spent much of its energy elsewhere after a strong 2026 cycle, it is another sign that Alabama is already combing for developmental pieces along the front.
Mark also has visits lined up for Alabama games this fall, including the East Carolina opener and the Georgia matchup in October, which should give the Tide a better read on where he fits and how much upside remains once he settles back into the sport. With only a few 2027 defensive line commitments in hand, Alabama does not need to rush, but it does need to keep identifying players who could grow into bigger targets as the cycle unfolds. [Read more 🡒]