How Alabama's Recent 5-Star Tackles Did in First Year as Starter
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Alabama will have a new-look offensive line in 2026 with only one returning starter. One of the four new faces will be sophomore Jackson Lloyd at left tackle.
Lloyd is replacing first-round pick Kadyn Proctor as the Crimson Tide's projected starter at left tackle this season as he enters his sophomore year. Early in spring camp, Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb announced his confidence in Lloyd, saying the competition wasn't really close at left tackle.
"He has really stood out as a guy that we're going to be really excited about as our left tackle," Grubb said of Lloyd back on March 12.
Lloyd appeared in five games last season but will be stepping into his first season as a starter. The offensive lineman was rated a five-star prospect by On3 and is the latest in a long string of Alabama five-stars at the position. Some, like Cam Robinson or Proctor, stepped in as a starter at left tackle right away while others had to wait their turn or start out as a guard at first.
Here's a look back on how the Crimson Tide's recent five-star tackles performed during their first season as a starter:
(All grades used are according to Pro Football Focus)
Cam Robinson- class of 2014, started at LT as true freshman in 2014
Robinson was one of the top overall players in the class of 2014 and became a Day 1 starter for the Crimson Tide that fall. He started all 14 games at left tackles and had an excellent season, earning freshman All-American honors by Sporting News and the Football Writers Association of America. At the time, it was unprecedented for a true freshman to start at the position under Nick Saban, but Robinson started a trend.
He started all three seasons at left tackle at Alabama, winning the Outland Trophy in 2016. Robinson was part of three straight SEC championship teams and the 2015 national championship team. He was drafted with the 34th overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2017 NFL Draft.
PFF Grades during first season as starter (2014, 14 starts)
Pass blocking grade: 74.9
Run blocking grade: 71.3
Pressures allowed: 18
Sacks allowed: 2
Jonah Williams, class of 2016, started at RT as true freshman in 2016
Williams was another starter as a true freshman, except he started on the right side in 2016 with Robinson in his final season at Alabama. He started all 15 games for the Tide that season and was named a Freshman All-American by USA Today and ESPN. Williams was also a three-year starter and moved over to left tackle for his final two seasons before becoming a first-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019.
PFF Grades during first season as starter (2016, 15 starts)
Pass blocking grade: 78.9
Run blocking grade: 73.7
Pressures allowed: 15
Sacks allowed: 4
Alex Leatherwood- class of 2017, started at RG as sophomore in 2018, started at LT as junior in 2019
Leatherwood was the next in the line of highly-rated tackle prospects for the Crimson Tide, but he did not have as direct of a route to the starting job as Robinson or Williams. Leatherwood only appeared in seven games during his true freshman season. He earned a starting role in 2018, but it was at the guard spot, where he only allowed 21 pressures on 486 pass blocking snaps.
With Williams off to the NFL after the season, Leatherwood became the starter at left tackle in 2019, where he became one of the best tackles in the country, earning first-team all-America honors from the AFCA.
Leatherwood came back for his senior season in 2020, helping Alabama win a national championship. He became a first-round pick of the Raiders in the 2021 NFL Draft.
PFF Grades during first season as starter at tackle (2019, 13 starts)
Pass blocking grade: 81.9
Run blocking grade: 72.3
Pressures allowed: 10
Sacks allowed: 0
Evan Neal- class of 2019, started at LG as freshman in 2019, started at RT as sophomore in 2020
Neal was considered the No. 1 tackle in the class of 2019 by Rivals, but because of the talent stacked ahead of him on the roster, he started his Alabama career at right guard for his true freshman season. Neal started all 13 games at right guard, allowing just one sacks in 423 pass blocking snaps.
The offensive lineman earned a starting spot at tackle in 2020, but it was on the right side. During his first season as a starting tackle, Neal allowed nine pressures and two sacks during the shortened COVID season. He then started at left tackle in 2021 and became a first-round pick of the Giants in the 2022 NFL Draft.
PFF Grades during first season as starter at tackle (2020, 13 starts)
Pass blocking grade: 73.1
Run blocking grade: 86.4
Pressures allowed: 9
Sacks allowed: 2
JC Latham- class of 2021, started at RT as sophomore in 2022
Latham was considered the best offensive lineman in the class of 2021 by all major recruiting outlets but still had to wait his turn when he got to Tuscaloosa. He was a starter on special teams units during that season but did not start on offense.
However, he did earn the right tackle job for the 2022 season, where he started all 13 games. Latham did not allow a sack on 517 pass blocking stats according to PFF. His performance was obviously strong enough to retain the job for the 2023 season, and Latham would become the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft by the Tennessee Titans.
PFF Grades during first season as starter (2022, 13 starts)
Pass blocking grade: 84.6
Run blocking grade: 72.2
Pressures allowed: 12
Sacks allowed: 0
Elijah Pritchett- class of 2022, started at RT as redshirt sophomore in 2024
Pritchett was the third-highest rated player in Alabama's 2022 class according to 247sports, trailing only Jihaad Campbell and Ty Simpson, but Pritchett's Alabama career didn't pan out as well as the players previously mentioned. Pritchett did not start until his third season in Tuscaloosa, winning the job at right tackle.
He started 11 of the Crimson TIde's 13 games in 2024. He allowed 30 pressures and six sacks during that time and transferred to Nebraska after the season.
PFF Grades during first season as starter (2024, 11 starts)
Pass blocking grade: 43.9
Run blocking grade: 52.2
Pressures allowed: 30
Sacks allowed: 6
Kadyn Proctor- class of 2023, started at LT as true freshman in 2023
Proctor was a highly-coveted prospect in the 2023 class and a five-star lineman. He was thrust into the starting lineup right away as a true freshman, and it was a shaky season for Proctor at left tackle.
He allowed 12 sacks during his freshman campaign according to PFF and received a lot of criticism. Proctor briefly transferred to Iowa after Saban's retirement but returned to Alabama and started the next two seasons under Kalen DeBoer, where he showed a lot of improvement, eventually becoming a first round pick in the latest NFL draft.
PFF Grades during first season as starter (2023, 14 starts)
Pass blocking grade: 58.8
Run blocking grade: 67.2
Pressures allowed: 36
Sacks allowed: 12
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/alabama as How Alabama's Recent 5-Star Tackles Did in First Year as Starter.
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