Alabama's 2017 signing class included quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, running back Najee Harris and a touted tandem that continues to vie on the Tuscaloosa practice fields.
In the offensive corner is former-five star tackle Alex Leatherwood, a 6-foot-6, 312-pound senior from Pensacola, Florida. His constant competition is former five-star defensive end LaBryan Ray, a 6-5, 295-pound senior from Madison, Alabama.
"We actually came in as freshmen together, so we've been battling since day one," Ray said this week on a Zoom call. "He's gotten me better every day. It's been a great experience for me, and it's something that I'm definitely blessed to have."
Their clashes may have been a bit under the radar when they first arrived, when Alabama's offensive line was headed by Bradley Bozeman, Ross Pierschbacher and Jonah Williams, and the Crimson Tide defensive front featured Raekwon Davis, Da'Shawn Hand and Da'Ron Payne, but they're certainly noticeable now. Leatherwood and Ray are the leaders of their units and are united in attempting to guide Alabama back to the top of the Southeastern Conference after losing last season to divisional rivals Auburn and LSU.
Leatherwood has 28 career starts, including 13 at left tackle last season, when he missed just seven assignments out of a possible 752 snaps and yielded just two sacks and three quarterback pressures.
Those numbers plus an overall grade of 89% certainly had him in the conversation of leaving early for the NFL along with classmates such as Tagovailoa, receivers Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III, and safety Xavier McKinney, but Leatherwood elected to return for a couple of prominent reasons.
"I felt like I left a lot on the table as a player, and I felt like I had a lot more to offer," Leatherwood said, "so I wanted to come back and capitalize on that. Also, with the way the season went last year, it wasn't how we expected it to go. I wanted to come back and leave on a way better note."
Leatherwood is one of three senior starters on Alabama's offensive front, joining Deonte Brown and Landon Dickerson, which seems to add to the justification of his decision to return.
"With experience, it's always easier," Leatherwood said. "We have a lot of experience in our room as a whole, and that's been a great thing. This fall camp has been going great."
AP photo by Vasha Hunt / Alabama defensive lineman LaBryan Ray (89) forces New Mexico State quarterback Josh Adkins to fumble on Sept. 7, 2019, in Tuscaloosa.Ray, who has switched from the No. 89 jersey to No. 18 for his final year, is hoping for a healthy season above anything else. He battled a nagging foot injury as a freshman in 2017 and underwent foot surgery last September after competing in just three games. In his one healthy season of 2018, Ray amassed 39 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble, and he started in that season's 58-21 pummeling of Tennessee in Neyland Stadium.
He said his foot is 100% recovered.
"That was a big learning experience for me, and it was definitely something I grew from and got better from, to be honest," he said.
Alabama coach Nick Saban recently said the defensive front was not physical enough last season, and Ray has accepted that challenge. Numerous college football coaches and players use the "iron sharpens iron" cliché, and it's hard to find a better example of that right now than Leatherwood and Ray lining up against one another.
"LaBryan Ray is a great player and a great athlete," Leatherwood said. "He's a workhorse as well. He primarily lines up against me, so I'm getting some of the best practice. He feels confident about his foot, and he's been practicing very well."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.