Jaheim Oatis among the most intriguing players to watch entering 2023

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On3’s resident college football expert Andy Staples is helping prepare fans for the start of the upcoming 2023 season. Recently, on the Andy Staples On3 Podcasts, he and his co-host, Jesse Simonton, went over their picks for the most impactful non-quarterback players this year. And surprise, surprise, Alabama Crimson Tide had one of their young, talented defensive linemen make their list.

“Jaheim Oatis at Alabama,” said Staples. “A big guy who came in even bigger. He came in at 400 pounds. He slimmed down to about 330 lbs. I think he’s even lighter now. But he’s gotten great grades. He’s played well. Like he seems to be everything they were hoping he would be. And he is just that dominant force in the middle.

“Remember, just because Will Anderson‘s gone doesn’t mean Alabama is not going to have a pass rush. They’ve still got Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell. And now you have this monster in the middle. I’m just, I’m very excited to see how he can make the leap from year one to year two because I think he’s going to be really good.”

There has been some concern surrounding the strength of the Alabama defensive line, given that star defensive end Will Anderson is now in the NFL after being selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. But Staples believes the Crimson Tide defensive line is hardly a concern and Simonton seconds that notion.

“Oh yeah, I think that defensive lines gonna be; I mean, you just mentioned a couple of their edge rushers,” said Simonton. “I think when you pair Oatis, and Tim (Timothy) Smith inside Alabama’s front four is not going to be an issue for the Tide this fall. They have some question marks, but it’s not upfront.

With former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young engineering the Alabama offense the last few seasons, the staple of most Nick Saban teams, the defense, took a back seat. But he, too, is off in the NFL after he was selected with the No. 1 overall pick. That has once again shifted the spotlight back to the defensive side of the ball to be the strength of the Alabama football team. To be more specific, it’s the Crimson Tide defensive line that is poised to shine in 2023. And with Oatis smack dab in the middle of that defensive line, that will give him the opportunity to catapult himself into college football stardom this season.