New offensive coach Adrian Klemm walked into the hardest job in Tuscaloosa this winter. Alabama handed him one returning starter, eleven new bodies, and a quarterback still to be named. No unit failed the offense more in 2025, and no unit has turned over harder since. The math is simple heading into the fall. If Klemm gets this group ready, the new quarterback has a chance. If he does not, nothing else on the roster will matter much.
Adrian Klemm Inherited a Bare Cupboard
The scale of the teardown still feels hard to believe. Kadyn Proctor, Parker Brailsford, Kam Dewberry, Geno VanDeMark, and Jaeden Roberts all left for the NFL. Wilkin Formby then transferred to Texas A&M after starting his final 16 games in crimson. Four more linemen walked out through the portal behind them. Michael Carroll, who started six games as a first-year player, is the only starter left standing.
Naturally, the panic followed. 247Sports welcomed Klemm with a warning, calling his new gig ” maybe the toughest job on staff.” Athlon Sports’ annual preview tabbed this group as the biggest concern on the entire roster. The numbers back all of it up. Alabama averaged just 3.4 yards per carry in 2025, one of its worst rushing seasons in 25 years. The overhaul turned official on February 4, when Adrian Klemm replaced previous offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic. Klemm also became the fourth man to hold this job since the last national title.
A Resume Built for Exactly This Problem
However, Alabama did not hire a random name to clean up the mess. Adrian Klemm was Bill Belichick’s first-ever draft pick in New England, selected in the same 2000 class as Tom Brady. The Inglewood native won three Super Bowls as a Patriots lineman before moving into coaching. The coaching resume reads even better. His 2022 Oregon line led the entire country with five sacks allowed in 13 games. His 2020 Steelers line allowed an NFL-low 14 sacks, seven fewer than the next-closest team. A year later, that group opened holes for Najee Harris to run for 1,200 yards as a rookie. At UCLA, he built record-setting offenses and earned Pac-12 Recruiter of the Year honors.
Head coach Kalen DeBoer pointed to that reputation for developing linemen at every level of football. Klemm sounded ready for the challenge in his introductory statement. “The tradition, culture, and championship standard in Tuscaloosa is second to none,” he said.
The Pieces Are Taking Shape Up Front
The rebuild started taking form quickly this spring. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb stunned reporters after just three practices with one blunt sentence. “Jackson Lloyd is our left tackle,” Grubb declared. Lloyd, a 6-foot-7 Californian, spent last season backing up Proctor and barely saw the field. He was also one of the first offers DeBoer confirmed after taking the Alabama job. The endorsement never went to the young tackle’s head. Lloyd told reporters that “nothing has changed” with his daily approach.
Meanwhile, Carroll slides from right tackle to right guard as the room’s returning veteran. Cal Poly transfer Racin Delgatty leads the center competition. Will Sanders missed spring with a back injury, but should man left guard this fall. Texas transfer Nick Brooks and Mississippi State transfer Jayvin James headline the fight at right tackle. Reviews from the spring game came back mixed, with promise in spots and missed assignments in others. At this point, though, nobody in Tuscaloosa expected a finished product in April.
Everything Comes Back to the Quarterback Battle
Every question about this line circles back to the quarterback room. Austin Mack and Keelon Russell are still fighting for the QB1 job. Whoever wins will make his first career start behind a line making its own first start together. Honestly, that is quite scary on paper. Perhaps the most daunting part is the schedule waiting on the other side. Alabama opens with East Carolina on September 5, then dives straight into the SEC’s first nine-game slate. Kentucky waits on the roach just one week after the opener. Pass protection decides whether a first-time starter grows up or gets broken in that gauntlet.
The good news, however, hides in plain sight. The passing game returns its most dangerous weapon, and the skill talent has never left. A rebuilt line with even average cohesion changes the entire outlook for a program still answering big questions. Surprisingly, the pieces for that outcome already exist in the building. Adrian Klemm has fixed protection problems at every level of football, and the transfers arrived with real starting experience. The talent was never the issue up front, and the development finally has a proven teacher.
For now, Bama Nation should watch the trenches more closely than the quarterback battle. It feels almost strange to say, but the season lives or dies with five blockers. If the early months of the Klemm era are any indication, then the rebuild is in serious hands.
