Jerome Latham watched his son’s third-grade football practice intently.

People thought Jerome forced his sons into the game. He didn’t. The boys went to Jerome, a former high school player himself, with a request. They wanted him to stop coaching and help them. The lessons started early. Young JC Latham would learn how to play any position, then find his niche; he’d list his top five colleges before taping the piece of paper on the back of his bedroom closet. But wait, before any of that could happen, Jerome noticed a problem in front of him.

The coaching staff, Jerome recalled, told players it was OK to walk to the line of scrimmage after breaking the huddle. No, that wouldn’t do. So, Jerome “put a kibosh on that” and came out of a pseudo-retirement to coach Pop Warner.

His son would learn the right habits, and if Jerome couldn’t provide it personally, he’d bring Latham to someone who could. That meant Jerome taking a break from coaching until JC and his younger brother, Langston, were off to college. Along the way, Latham inherited the drive. Nature reinforced by nurture. And now, their efforts are the bedrock of No. 3 Alabama’s right tackle.

Latham is the only returner from last year’s line who started all 13 games. Hours after the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Eve 2022, the junior made his goals for this fall clear —make Alabama’s offensive line the best in the nation; go undefeated; bring home a national title; and win the Outland Trophy presented to the nation’s best interior lineman. His declaration preceded the hiring of offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and projections of a run-first offense behind one of the largest sets of blockers in the SEC.

If the Crimson Tide possess an edge this season, which continues Saturday against No. 11 Texas in primetime (6 p.m., ESPN), it’ll be fronted by Latham, who calls himself the “Trench King.”

“Just seeing how I matched up with other people at my position and seeing the competition out there, I knew that I needed to take more advantage of the opportunity that I have right now,” Latham said, “… Just making sure every chance I get to showcase my best, making sure I do it every single play. Just let it be known that’s the standard of what I am.

“Honestly it’s really who I’ve been since I was little. Anything that I do that I have a passion for, I always wanted to be the best at.”

Bill Young saw that passion at Wisconsin’s Catholic Memorial High. He remembered the gangly kid that multiple coaches referred to as a “puppy” with a jovial attitude when Young visited Tuscaloosa for a spring practice a couple of months ago. Three inches taller and nearly 150 pounds heavier than his varsity days, Latham had grown into a star, but he still had that smile, Young recalled.

Originally born in Mississippi, Latham and his dad were living in Oak Creek, Wisc., 11 miles south of Milwaukee, when they connected with Andre Powell, a former Penn State linebacker with NFL experience. Latham and Powell’s son, Andre Powell Jr., became best friends and in talking shop, Jerome soon approached Powell about coaching Latham on a few things. Jerome wanted a coach to supplement the hand and footwork drills he and Latham would do before practices.

When Powell enrolled his son 35 minutes away at Catholic, a program known for its football team, Jerome made sure Latham followed. At the time, Latham wasn’t even an offensive lineman. He lined up at nose tackle primarily, practicing as a blocker for the first time during his sophomore year playoff run. Down 24 at halftime in the state title game, Young decided it was better late than never.

Latham wrapped his arm around the seniors on the sideline, offered a pep talk, then executed a few combo blocks and forced three fumbles defensively to spark a comeback, eventually beating West De Pere, 37-24.

“Some guys grow up when they’re 40 (years old),” Young said, “others do it when they’re 20.”

After the victory, Jerome sat Latham down and they had a talk about being a big fish in a small pond. They were grateful to Catholic and Young, and vice versa — Young said he hadn’t seen anything like Latham in his 50-year career — but Latham’s progress would take him to Florida’s IMG Academy. After the season, Jerome contacted IMG’s coaches and set a meeting.

Due to a few spring injuries on the Ascenders’ roster, Latham switched to left tackle under coach Bobby Acosta, now at UAPB, and George Hegmain, a Super Bowl champion with the Dallas Cowboys. On the school’s YouTube series “Brotherhood,” Latham is interviewed and shown harping on the details, saying he felt like he needed to be prepared for any defense.

Jerome would call Acosta constantly for updates, and Acosta relayed what he saw when he looked out of his office window and onto the field each night. Eyes closed and alone, Latham ran through his practice routine. Meanwhile, once the SEC offers rolled in, Latham cross-referenced his childhood list with his personal research of schools sending linemen to the NFL. Alabama had been on the list since elementary school.

IMG and Tide alum Evan Neal took Latham under his wing in Tuscaloosa. Latham didn’t allow a sack across 14 games as a freshman guard before winning the right tackle job a year ago and tallying 29 knockdown blocks. But a two-loss 2022 wore on Latham. He voiced the “disrespect” he believed he and the Tide were facing at preseason media days in Nashville, two years removed from its last title. He was open about reasserting Alabama over Georgia and the rest of the college football world.

“He means that. That’s who JC is,” Acota said of Latham’s preseason declaration.

Like Neal did before him, Latham started group chats with the young offensive linemen on the team. He’d organize group dinners, forming a bond with another IMG teammate, current sophomore guard Tyler Booker. This week, Latham referred to leadership not as a challenge, but “more of an expectation” to provide a blueprint.

Senior center Seth McLaughlin noted that while Latham gave himself his Trench King nickname, others are starting to catch on and the mantra is wearing off on the group.

He’s trying to reduce his penalties (he committed 10 last fall and allowed two sacks) and added 25 pounds of muscle in the offseason. The 6-foot-6, 360-pound Latham said in August the weight gain is to round out his NFL profile. Like Tide head coach Nick Saban tells players, development is about building value for yourself. The dynastic head coach reminded Jerome of a personal hero, Grambling State’s late Eddie Robinson. When Jerome met Saban, he realized the influence Saban could have on his son.

“(Latham) is a full-blown disciple of Nick Saban,” Powell said. ” … I just see what is innately in JC in the Coach Saban fashion. He does enjoy the work. He loves being bigger, stronger, faster. He loves being dominant.”

Starting halfway through last season, Latham said he began thinking about his goals in potentially his final year with UA. Just like Saban, Latham seemed to learn more from losses than wins and Latham blamed one specifically on himself, the Tide’s overtime defeat at LSU, citing his penalties and sacks.

It’s what partially motivated him to look ahead after stomping Kansas State. Latham foregoed the team’s 24-hour rule of celebrating wins and looked ahead. Recent mock drafts have Latham as one of the first offensive linemen off the board, confirming what coaches have seen for years.

While Latham was still an underclassman in high school, something Jerome kept hearing bugged him. Too often, people were telling players to make sure they had backup plans once their NFL hopes faded. When he got Latham to IMG’s Bradenton, Fla., campus, defensive line Ernie Logan sat with father and son and asked Latham what his dreams were. Latham mentioned a pro career, but it wasn’t atop the list.

“‘If you want to go to the NFL, damnit, you don’t let anybody stop you and stop your dream,’” Jerome remembered Logan saying, “‘If you want to go to the NFL, you try to dream and achieve and get to the NFL.’”

Jerome tagged Logan as a straight shooter. He liked how Logan delivered the message, too, with vigor. Glancing over to Latham, Jerome noticed a smile flash across his son’s face.

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Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].