Jehiem Oatis has had a smaller role this season for Alabama football.
Twenty defensive players have received more snaps than him this season, per Pro Football Focus. Oatis is seventh among Crimson Tide defensive linemen with LT Overton, Jah-Marien Latham, Tim Smith, Tim Keenan III, James Smith and Damon Payne Jr. ahead of him. Through four games, Oatis has received 68 snaps.
A season ago, Oatis was 15th among defensive players and fourth among defensive linemen. Only Justin Eboigbe, Keenan and Tim Smith received more snaps.
In 2022, Oatis also ranked No. 4 among Alabama defensive linemen in snaps.
Why has Oatis seen less playing time in defensive coordinator Kane Wommack’s system?
Wommack discussed Oatis’ usage and development on Monday ahead of the Vanderbilt game.
“I think Jehiem, obviously coming from the offseason, coming off an injury, he’s still finding and hitting his stride, working to hit his stride,” Wommack said. “I think he’s taking steps in the right direction, I think there’s growth there, but certainly we want to continue to see him take steps in the right direction. I think as he continues to take those steps he has really high potential and an opportunity to impact this team in a large way.”
This season, Oatis has tallied two tackles, one pass breakup and one quarterback hit.
No. 1 Alabama (4-0, 1-0 SEC) will face Vanderbilt (2-2, 0-1) on Saturday (3:15 p.m. CT, SEC Network) in Nashville.
Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.
