Alabama football has experienced a shakeup on the interior of the defensive line. Most of the change has been among reserve players, but it has impacted the depth nonetheless.

Gone are players such as Tim Smith, Damon Payne, Jeheim Oatis, Hunter Osborne. Smith was the only player of that group who was a major contributor this past season, is preparing for the NFL draft. But Alabama still needs to replace the depth it lost via the transfer portal.

“I don’t know if I ever feel like I have enough depth on the interior,” Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said. “It’s certainly an area I think from a defensive standpoint, it’s probably one of our biggest areas of depth concern. Development is the best recipe for that. We’ll make sure we address those needs in any way we need to before the season.”

Starter Tim Keenan III is back. Plus, James Smith was another big contributor who is back for 2025.

“I think you saw some guys that started taking steps in the bowl game against Michigan,” Wommack said. “I thought certainly obviously James Smith had a great game and is going to take a more central role for us moving forward. Guys in spring I’m noticing out there, Edric Hill is doing a really good job. Jeremiah Beaman is doing a really good job. So we’re going to have to ask some of those younger players to step up in a major role this year. So it’s going to be a tough challenge for them.”

Alabama will continue spring practice through Saturday, April 12, which will be A-Day.

Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.