Alabama’s 2025 O-line was one heck of a rollercoaster ride. After entering the season with the best O-line, somewhere along the way, things started to unravel, slowly falling out of the top 10 all the way to 22nd in the nation. With four starters already dipped to the draft and elsewhere, the question of Kalen DeBoer’s hot seat arises. However, according to Bama Great Alphonse Taylor, the sophomore star will be the reason Kalen DeBoer’s employment will be away from harm’s way.

On February 28th, the two-time national champion and certified borderline Bama legend hopped onto his X handle and gave a shout-out to the only man between Kalen DeBoer’s job security: “I honestly think Carroll is going to be the backbone of this O-line moving forward. He plays physically and with some nastiness. Add that with the Klemm philosophy, and we could see our true online culture return at Bama.”

Ever since that Georgia game back in 2024, Kalen DeBoer’s name has been the most searched in the book of hot-seat, and for good reason.

The 9-4 in year 1 and 11-3 in year 2 might not sound that bad, excluding Bama’s standard; the former Huskies head coach has lost four games to unranked opponents in just 14 games. For context: it took Saban 230 games to reach that same number. What’s even worse, Bama was among the bottom in rushing yards in the SEC. Another 2 unranked losses next season would be as good as signing his termination contract. If there’s one person who has a shot at saving him, then it’s Michael Caroll by being the backbone of the 2026 Bama’s O-line.

Michael was a 5-star prospect and the top-ranked interior lineman in his class before joining Bama. Even though he was a true freshman in 2025, he didn’t wait around to make an impact. When called, he delivered.

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He played in all 14 games and eventually locked down a starting spot for the final stretch of the season, including the postseason. The true freshman allowed only about four sacks all year (346 pass-block snaps), finishing with one of the highest blocking grades for a freshman in the nation (5th).

The 6’6″ and 321 pounds clearly isn’t afraid to go toe-to-toe and physical with fast-moving EDGE or DEs. Because he played so well, Carroll racked up a ton of hardware, earning Freshman All-American honors from both the FWAA and On3, along with a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team.

Carroll ended up being the only returning starter for the 2026 line. One of the best investments (if not the best) Bama did this off-season was bringing in Adrian Klemm for the new offensive line coach gig. For anybody who is not familiar with Klemm’s philosophy, let us enlighten you.

The man has worked with the Oregon Ducks, the Steelers, and the Patriots. In his 2022 Ducks season, his O-line led the nation by allowing only 5 sacks in 13 games. Mind you, as a player, he registered three Super Bowls, all under Bill Belichick.

Taylor believes this ‘Klemm philosophy’ (focused on pro-style toughness) is the perfect match for a player like Carroll. Together, they’re expected to bring back that “mean streak” that made Bama’s front five so dominant in years past.

Alabama’s 2026 season o-line preview:

The 2026 squad is going to look almost completely different from last year. Alabama is losing four out of five starters. Star tackles like Kadyn Proctor and Parker Brailsford already in the Combine. Then Kam Dewberry, Jaeden Roberts, and Geno VanDeMark have exhausted their eligibility. Wilkin Formby entered the transfer portal to jump elsewhere.

To fill all those empty seats, the coaching staff hit the transfer portal hard. They’ve brought in a mix of experienced guys from other schools and some highly-rated young talent.

Alabama starting O-line projection

* Jackson Lloyd (LT)

* ⁠William Sanders (LG)

* ⁠Racin Delgatty (G)

* ⁠Nick Brooks / Ty Haywood (RG)

* ⁠Michael Carroll (RT)

You’ll likely see some new faces like Nick Brooks (a transfer from Texas) and Ty Haywood (a former 5-star recruit from Michigan) battling it out for starting roles. It’s a lot of new pieces to glue together, but there is definitely no shortage of talent in the room. Same thing said for the 2025 o-line, didn’t turn top 5 as fans expected. Only time will tell this time again.