Tide Lands Touted Transfer Tackle
Former Vanderbilt Commodore and highly sought after transfer target, Tyler Steen, committed to the Crimson Tide Tuesday, giving Alabama a potential answer to the rumored offensive line woes.
Steen, a three-star prospect from the class of 2018, played both left and right tackle for the Commodores, and despite being the newest to the team is now the Tide's most experienced offensive lineman in terms of time as a starter. Steen's 33 starts across three seasons at Vanderbilt outrank that of Emil Ekiyor who has started 29 games in his four years with the team.
While there will definitely be a learning curve, adjusting to a new system, Alabama is gaining a lineman that has seen the ropes and knows what to expect in the SEC. Standing at 6-foot-5, 315 lbs., Steen has excellent size and uses his footwork well to move defenders out of the way, especially in the run game.
While he struggled at times on the left side at Vanderbilt, mostly in pass sets, Steen played extremely well at right tackle and could be an instant plug and play for the Tide.
Alabama looks to replace both its starting tackles from a year ago in Evan Neal and Chris Owens, and while Steen is not guaranteed a starting role, the transfer is expected to compete for and likely win one.
Whether or not Steen will takeover at one of the starting tackle spots will unlikely be decided anytime soon, but with a new, more experienced face to choose from, the options certainly look a lot clearer.