Roster countdown: 93 Latham; 92 Eboigbe; 91 Oatis
Counting down the Alabama roster three players at a time. Next up for the 2023 series: defensive linemen Jah-Marien Latham, Justin Eboigbe and Jaheim Oatis.
93 DL Jah-Marien Latham
2022: As a redshirt sophomore, Latham saw action in 12 games, recording four tackles and two quarterback hurries. Posted first tackle of UA career at Arkansas and first hurry against Mississippi State.
Of note: Prior to being sidelined for 2023 spring drills, Latham served as rotational piece in Alabama’s Sugar Bowl win over Kansas State. He entered the game in the first quarter, working inside as a member of UA’s “Cheetah” package. Between that role and as an end in the base and big nickel looks, Latham will look to build on his entry level responsibilities from a year ago. Primarily, though, it’s in the pass rush where Latham might make the biggest impact in 2023.
92 DL Justin Eboigbe
2022: Productive start to senior campaign was cut short by neck injury sustained prior to Arkansas game. Before being sidelined, Eboigbe saw action in four games, posting 11 tackles and two quarterback hurries.
Of note: A major contributor dating back to the 2019 season, Eboigbe returns after navigating a potentially career-ending crisis. The fifth-year senior provides a strong presence at the point of attack. First and foremost, he is difficult to move in the run game. At the end position, Eboigbe is a very strong edge setter. From there, expect him to work inside as a pass rusher, both in the nickel and dime packages. In April’s A-Day game, he not only provided pressure to the quarterback, he helped create pass rush opportunities for linebackers and defensive backs. Intangibly, Eboigbe will be counted on to help lead a defensive front seven going through a good bit of transition.
91 DL Jaheim Oatis
2022: As a true freshman, Oatis started 10 of the 12 games that he appeared in. Amassed 29 tackles, including two for loss, a sack and four quarterback hurries. Freshman All-SEC selection and defensive player of the week choice by UA coaching staff after racking up eight tackles and a quarterback hurry in win over Arkansas.
Of note: As far as weight loss is concerned, Oatis has made incredible strides since joining the program in January 2022. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 pounds down from where he was at the time of his arrival, the next step for Oatis entails becoming the kind of interior presence that opposing offenses have to game plan for. In other words, one-on-one opportunities need to be taken advantage of. Not that Oatis needs to be Quinnen Williams in Year 2 (even Williams wasn’t that guy until Year 3), but getting his tackle for loss numbers somewhere north of five would represent growth. Given the time they saw together in 2022, Oatis and Tim Smith should prove difficult to deal with during the upcoming season.
Previous:
96 Keenan; 95 Goodwine; 94 Hill
99 Hastings; 98 Burroughs; 97 Perry
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