Alabama football offensive line may have ‘freaks.’ Why it ‘doesn’t matter’ to Crimson Tide coaches

Geno VanDeMark thought he was “a pretty strong dude.” And then he watched fellow Alabama football offensive lineman Jaeden Roberts lift, “loading up 1,000 pounds and moving it like I move 700.” Kadyn Proctor, same thing, VanDeMark said.

“I’ll hit PR that day, I’ll be up there, and like ‘Oh, I’m going to check out that leaderboard,'” VanDeMark told the Tuscaloosa News. “‘Never mind.’There’s just a different level of freak with those guys.”

Proctor, Roberts and Alabama center Parker Brailsford each appeared on The Athletic’s “Freaks” list ahead of the 2025 season. Proctor, according to The Athletic, squatted 815 pounds and benched 535 pounds this summer, while Roberts benched 805 pounds.

But those numbers, Ballou said, are not the end all, be all.

“I tell them this every day,” Ballou said. “If it doesn’t show up on the football field on a play-by-play basis, it doesn’t matter … It’s why we don’t put videos up on Twitter or Instagram for people … What ultimately matters is what happens on the practice field and judgement day, which is game day on Saturdays.”

Alabama offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic echoed Ballou saying strength numbers “won’t mean a (darn) thing if you come out and you play high with poor hands.”It’s not going to matter,” Kapilovic said. “You’re wasting all of that power and strength.