Truth be told, the chances of matching the previous year’s performance were pretty slim.

In 2012, the University of Alabama football team had an incredible three All-Americans on the offensive line including Barrett Jones, the winner of the Rimington Award as the nation’s best center and the previous holder of the Outland Trophy as college football’s top interior lineman.

At right tackle D.J. Fluker was so big he required size-22 shoes, while left guard Chance Warmack became such a rock at left guard that Crimson Tide defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson still calls him the toughest player he’s faced at the collegiate level. In addition to helping lead the Alabama to back-to-back national titles they were the 10th and 11th selections in the subsequent NFL Draft.

Collectively, the group made 165 career starts together before those three moved on, as did line coach Jeff Stoutland to the Philadelphia Eagles.

But that’s all old news, and only now does the offensive line appear to have the benefit of the clean slate that the 2013 unit and position coach Mario Cristobal probably should have enjoyed. With the offseason departures of left tackle Cyrus Kouandjio and right guard Anthony Steen – who had made 34 starts and played in 51 games before missing the last one due to a shoulder injury — all five starters from the last national championship have moved on.

Moreover, Steen was one of seven players on the Crimson Tide who had been a fifth-year senior, who earned national championship rings not only in 2011-12, but also 2009 while redshirting. The others, who helped Alabama go 46-7 over the past four seasons, were Kenny Bell, AJ McCarron, Kevin Norwood, Tana Patrick, Ed Stinson and fellow offensive lineman Kellen Williams.

“Do I feel like a senior?” guard Arie Kouandjio said. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it once or twice.”

While most of the offseason attention with the offensive line focused on Cam Robinson, the 6-foot-7, 335-pound prize product of West Monroe, La., who after enrolling early took over at left tackle during the spring, the heart of the unit has become the three guys who replaced those All-Americans a year ago: Arie Kouadnjio, Austin Shepherd and Ryan Kelly.

They’re about as different as the towns they hail from – Hyattsville, Md., Buford, Ga., and West Chester, Ohio — but collectively will likely determine how successful the line is this season, if not entire offense. Except at quarterback, where Alabama had to replace three-year starter McCarron, nearly every other playmaker returned.

“This is my fourth year coming up,” Kelly said. “Arie and Shepherd have been here for five. You instill that with the younger guys and this is where we want to be. This is the ’Bama way. It helps that all three of us are pushing that with the younger guys.”

The ’Bama way, of course, includes playing punishing football, a grind-it-out style with the goal of not only getting the opposition on its heels, but never want to be on the other side – ever. It’s a balanced attack, ball control and imposing your will over and over again until the clock runs out.

To do so takes more than mere size on the offensive line, but timing, technique and familiarity with what everyone else is doing. Consequently there may be no position group in which experience is more important.

“They’ve seen the ups and downs of what college football brings,” Kelly said. “You can obviously tell between the seniors and some of the freshmen, just the maturity level. Paying next to those guys, it obviously helps when you’re in big games.”

It also helps on the practice room, in the film room and just about everywhere else, especially considering the line is probably where the difference between the high school and collegiate level is the greatest. That, plus the obvious size differential helps explain why so many offensive linemen redshirt their first season.

“I feel like it helps because when the coach isn’t available we’re always there,” Shepherd said of the added veteran presence. “Any guy can call us anytime — midnight, 9 a.m. — we’ll come here and watch film with him. All three of us know this like the coaches. It helps a ton because we can go in there whenever and help them.”

Some of those other players include junior college transfers Leon Brown and Dominick Jackson, who were brought in to compete for spots and add some more beef to the unit. Brown arrived last year and filled in for Steen during the Sugar Bowl, but both were limited by injuries during training camp.

Meanwhile, sophomore Grant Hill played in five games last season and at one point was splitting reps with Shepherd at right tackle, while Alphonse Taylor appears to be the right guard of the future. Bradley Bozeman learned both center and guard while redshirting last season and could step into Williams’ “sixth man” role that got him into nine games last season with one start.

Adding to the depth are additional newcomers Ross Pierschbacher (6-4, 290, Cedar Falls, Iowa), JC Hassenauer (6-5, 292, St. Paul, Minn.), and Joshua Casher (6-1, 297, Mobile, Ala.).

“We needed to get quality people up front on both sides of the ball,” Saban said about the offensive line class, which was rated the best in the nation by numerous recruiting services.

Nevertheless, when asked what was the most important thing for the players to work on and improve Kelly said: “Communication.”

“You look back and there were some things we could have put ourselves in better position … What we don’t want to do is have a 7-yard gain and it could have been 14 and someone came off late on the block. That’s been one of our (points of) emphasis.”

With Alabama opening Southeastern Conference play today against Florida (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS), the unit will have its fist significant benchmark. Even though it may not have an All-American in the bunch this year, the feeling around the team is that there’s real potential for the offensive line to improve because it’s still about five players working together on each and every play.

“You would be surprised if you finish your block how many of those 5-yard gains turn into 15 if you can get guys like T.J. Yeldon up on the secondary,” Kelly said. “Those guys are huge backs. He and Derrick Henry can make some moves up in space.

“As an offensive line we just want to finish.”