Atlanta Showdown Part 5: FSU offensive line vs. 'Bama defensive front

The Florida State offensive line

One year after signing perhaps the greatest offensive line class in Florida State history, the Seminoles may call upon three of those second-year players to start this fall. Redshirt freshmen Jauan Williams and Josh Ball appear to be the frontrunners to replace All-ACC pick Rod Johnson at left tackle, and two more redshirt freshmen -- Baveon Johnson and Andrew Boselli -- are expected to challenge junior Alec Eberle at center. On top of that, true sophomore Landon Dickerson almost certainly will start at one guard spot if he’s fully recovered from a torn ACL sustained last season.

The good news for FSU is that the coaches are very high on all of those young linemen. The bad news is they will be put to the test in Game 1 by an Alabama defense that seems to reload every year, no matter how many players they lose to graduation or the NFL. The only Seminole lineman who is guaranteed to start that game is senior right tackle Rick Leonard; sophomore Cole Minshew is expected to start at the other guard position. They both played well late in the 2016 season and should provide some stability up front.

The Alabama defensive line

Those No. 1 recruiting classes Alabama head coach Nick Saban signs every year are paying off for the Crimson Tide once again. Despite losing two of its three starting defensive linemen to the NFL, Alabama looks ready to reload at the position by bringing in a pair of former five-star recruits.

Alabama will need to make up for the loss of Jonathan Allen and Dalvin Tomlinson this season. Allen won several national awards last season after leading the team with 15 quarterback hurries and 10.5 sacks, while Tomlinson was one of the Tide’s most underrated players and a steady force in run defense. Fortunately for Alabama, it can plug in two ready replacements

Senior Da’Shawn Hand, the No. 1 overall recruit in 2014, will finally get a chance to start, while JUCO transfer Isaiah Buggs, the No. 1 overall JUCO player in the 2017 class, appears likely to fill the other open slot on the line. That's what happens when you finish with the No. 1 recruiting class five out of the past six years.