TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama is 12 days into fall camp -- 15 days out from its season opener against Duke. And head coach Nick Saban has been pleased with the play of his offensive line.

“I like the offensive line,” said Saban following Thursday’s practice. “I think we’ve got some pretty good experience there. I like the two tackles that we have. I think they’ve both had really good camps. We have 4-5 guys that can play inside that have done really well. Without naming specific players, I think we can have a really good offensive line.

“We’ve had players sort of nicked up, missing a practice here, missing a practice there. Like to get them all out there so we can try to put our best group together and try to get our best five out there, which I don’t know that we’ve ever had the chance to do to this point. But I feel better about the number of players that we have at that position now than I’ve had most of the time in the past, so I feel pretty good about it.”

The Crimson Tide returns two starters from last year’s line in Alex Leatherwood and Jedrick Wills. Leatherwood moved back to tackle after starting 15 games at right guard last year and has lined up at left tackle since the spring, while Wills is back as the starting right tackle. They have been constants at their positions all offseason long, but the interior is where things get interesting.

As Saban said Thursday, Alabama has multiple options at left guard, center and right guard. In the 12 practices, especially this week after the first scrimmage, we’ve seen five different players working with the first team. One of them has been mammoth true freshman Evan Neal, who has been at left guard beside Leatherwood most of the week. The newcomer is pushing for playing time.

“He’s been doing great,” redshirt senior Matt Womack said. “He’s a big guy, like me; bigger than me, I guess. He’s strong; stronger than I am. He can move good. He’s got good feet. Sometimes he messes up, but I mess up all the time. But he tries to listen to coach and how he gets coached. I see him taking notes because I sit beside him (in meetings), so he tries to fix his mistakes. I see really promising things for him, too.”

Although he has been limited at times in camp, Womack has spent the most time at right guard during camp. Other players we have seen there have been redshirt freshman Emil Ekiyor and graduate transfer Landon Dickerson. And that’s not even including Deonte Brown, who will have to miss the first four games of the season. But the newest addition, Dickerson, is quickly fitting in.

Alabama's offensive linemen firing off the ball.

“I think Landon Dickerson has done a really good job,” Saban said. “He’s really tough, he’s a very physical player. Very smart. He’s played center and guard both for us and to have that diversity as a player is really important, I think. And I think he has a unique perspective coming from someplace that maybe the players didn’t have it quite as good as they have it around here.”

Of late, Dickerson has worked at center during the media viewing periods with Ekiyor to his right at right guard. Chris Owens was the first-team center to open camp and was stepping up as a leader, but the redshirt junior has been limited the last couple of practices, allowing Dickerson and Ekiyor to receive his reps. Center is an important role, and Saban looks for certain qualities.

On what qualities do you look for in a center?

“Initial quickness is really important,” Saban said. “Obviously, you have a responsibility to snap the ball that starts just about every play, so your ability to do that, especially in the gun with accuracy. If the quarterback is under center you have to be able to get the ball up and be able to step quickly and block somebody, which everybody else on the offensive line doesn’t have that task. So, initial quickness is helpful.

“To have some explosive power, to be able to get movement inside is very important, and to have good enough feet to be able to slide and be a good pass-protection person is probably another quality. But there are not very many guys that are good centers who don’t have a big-picture understanding to make calls and help other players play better, and I think that’s also a really important quality.”

The offensive linemen and the rest of Alabama’s players will practice this morning at 9:30 a.m. CT in the last practice before Saturday’s final fall camp scrimmage at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Contact Charlie Potter by 247Sports' personal messaging or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter).

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