Jaheim Oatis is looking and feeling like a different man.
Oatis came into Alabama as a freshman with no expectation of early playing time. Weighing over 400 pounds coming out of high school in Mississippi, the defensive lineman had conversations with the Alabama nutrition staff before he even arrived on campus as an early enrollee last spring.
That changed everything.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday afternoon, Oatis revealed that he’s down to 320 pounds after losing nearly 100 pounds. Oatis said he ate “whatever he wanted” back in high school.
“Ms. Amy changed my diet,” Oatis said. “She helped me take away bread and rice. I got a lot of baked chicken, and a lot of vegetables. I feel great. I move a lot better than what I did in high school.”
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“I didn’t think I was going to play because I weighed so much,” Oatis said Tuesday as the Crimson Tide enters week two of spring football. “So when I came in, they were helping me with the weight, and then DJ Dale talked to me, helped me out during the season, and for the first three games told me how the game was going to move and play.”
Oatis saw playing time in the first two games before earning his first start in Week 3 against Louisiana-Monroe. He would go on to start 10 games during his freshman campaign.
He finished his freshman campaign with 29 tackles, including two for loss and a sack.
Oatis is listed at 328 pounds on the roster and said he is comfortable in the 320-330 range.