The circled day on the calendar has finally arrived. Alabama will open up its fall camp today as it begins its quest to repeat as national champions. The Crimson Tide has less than a month before its season-opener against Miami on Sept. 4 inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Here are five things we’ll be keeping an eye on until then.
“Bryce has made a lot of improvement,” Saban said in the spring. “I think he’s a lot more confident. I think I’ve talked about this before, that we wanted to play Bryce a lot more than he got to play last year. I think the situation, the circumstances, playing 10 SEC games and being in the SEC Championship Game and the playoffs, probably didn’t get as much chance to do that as we’ve done in the past with developing quarterbacks. But I think just having all the reps that he had last year, he’s much more confident. I think he’s doing very well.”
Young was impressive in each of Alabama’s scrimmages this spring, capping off camp with an MVP performance in the A-Day game where he completed 25 of 44 passes for 333 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. According to sources close to the program, the five-star continued to impress during 7-on-7 play this summer. If Young can maintain his momentum over the next month, Alabama shouldn’t have a problem putting together another strong attack this season.
“Bryce has endless potential,” receiver John Metchie III said. “I'm excited to see him play. I think just working with him and knowing him as a friend, I'm really excited for him to get his shot.”
The myth that freshmen don’t find the field at Alabama was thoroughly disproved last season as outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr. and defensive back Malachi Moore earned starting roles while other newcomers such as defensive back Brian Branch, running back Jase McClellan and defensive lineman Tim Smith capitalized on early opportunities.
This year, Alabama will once again have a few new faces in the mix for impactful roles.
Five-star offensive lineman J.C. Latham might be the most likely freshman to land a starting spot as he competes for the opening at right tackle. The 6-foot-6, 325-pound IMG Academy product joins the Tide as the highest-rated member of its recruiting class this year, ranking as the No. 2 overall player in the nation. So far, Latham has lived up to that billing, impressing coaches since arriving as an early enrollee.
Another worthy candidate is Kool-Aid McKinstry, who earned the USA Today’s High School Sports Award for Male Athlete of the Year on Thursday. Like Latham, the five-star cornerback has already impressed during his time with the Tide, garnering respect from both coaches and teammates. He’ll be in contention with Jalyn Armour-Davis and Marcus Banks for the opening at cornerback vacated by All-American Patrick Surtain II.
While Latham and McKinstry are the two likeliest freshman candidates to land starting roles, fall camp leaves room for surprises. Receiver Agiye Hall took the Tide by storm this spring, coming down with multiple highlight grabs during the A-Day game. He’ll have to jump several veterans to land a spot on the first-team offense. However, if he continues to progress, he’ll be hard to keep off the field.
During spring camp, Saban said Sanders was able to take part in dry-land running, stating he was “really pleased” with how the redshirt sophomore was recovering.
Sanders is perhaps the biggest wildcard in Alabama’s offense this season. If completely healthy, he is arguably the Tide’s most talented option out of the backfield. Even if Sanders is still somewhat limited this fall, his ability to catch out of the backfield and make plays in open space could add a nice change of pace to a bigger back like Brian Robinson Jr.
Redshirt junior tight end Cameron Latu served as a pleasant surprise this spring as he emerged as one of Young’s favorite targets during camp. Could Alabama receive another unexpected boost this fall?
One player to watch is outside linebacker Chris Brasswell, who tallied three sacks during the A-Day game. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound defender didn’t play a down after coming to the Tide as a five-star recruit last offseason. While Alabama has plenty of options when it comes to edge rushers, Saban said Brasswell might be useful in a pass-rushing role this season.
“He’s really made a lot of progress, showed some ability in pass rush to really challenge our offense on a daily basis,” Saban said following the A-Day game. “We knew he was a guy that would step up and be a guy to count on and have a role this year. Because of his pass-rush ability he will be a guy we find a role for."
Fall camp isn’t just about the players. Alabama will also continue to break in its five new assistants as Saban looks to once again successfully reload his staff.
The biggest addition of the bunch is Bill O’Brien, who replaces Broyles Award winner Steve Sarkisian at offensive coordinator. The Tide also brought in offensive line coach Doug Marrone, running backs coach Robert Gillespie, special teams/ tight ends coach Drew Svoboda and cornerbacks coach Jay Valai.
While O’Brien is likely to add his own wrinkles to Alabama's offense, recent coaching changes have taught us not to expect drastic changes in the Tide’s philosophy. A more important thing to watch for is how the new assistants are able to command their respective units and ensure that their players avoid complacency and adhere to Saban’s patented Alabama standard over the next month.
Will Bryce Young maintain his spring momentum?
Nick Saban has yet to officially name a starter at quarterback, but after the way this spring went he won’t need to. If there was any question whether or not Bryce Young was ready to step into the starting role behind center, the sophomore answered it during a stellar camp that saw him earn the confidence of coaches and teammates.“Bryce has made a lot of improvement,” Saban said in the spring. “I think he’s a lot more confident. I think I’ve talked about this before, that we wanted to play Bryce a lot more than he got to play last year. I think the situation, the circumstances, playing 10 SEC games and being in the SEC Championship Game and the playoffs, probably didn’t get as much chance to do that as we’ve done in the past with developing quarterbacks. But I think just having all the reps that he had last year, he’s much more confident. I think he’s doing very well.”
Young was impressive in each of Alabama’s scrimmages this spring, capping off camp with an MVP performance in the A-Day game where he completed 25 of 44 passes for 333 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. According to sources close to the program, the five-star continued to impress during 7-on-7 play this summer. If Young can maintain his momentum over the next month, Alabama shouldn’t have a problem putting together another strong attack this season.
“Bryce has endless potential,” receiver John Metchie III said. “I'm excited to see him play. I think just working with him and knowing him as a friend, I'm really excited for him to get his shot.”
How many freshmen will earn starting roles?
The myth that freshmen don’t find the field at Alabama was thoroughly disproved last season as outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr. and defensive back Malachi Moore earned starting roles while other newcomers such as defensive back Brian Branch, running back Jase McClellan and defensive lineman Tim Smith capitalized on early opportunities.
This year, Alabama will once again have a few new faces in the mix for impactful roles.
Five-star offensive lineman J.C. Latham might be the most likely freshman to land a starting spot as he competes for the opening at right tackle. The 6-foot-6, 325-pound IMG Academy product joins the Tide as the highest-rated member of its recruiting class this year, ranking as the No. 2 overall player in the nation. So far, Latham has lived up to that billing, impressing coaches since arriving as an early enrollee.
Another worthy candidate is Kool-Aid McKinstry, who earned the USA Today’s High School Sports Award for Male Athlete of the Year on Thursday. Like Latham, the five-star cornerback has already impressed during his time with the Tide, garnering respect from both coaches and teammates. He’ll be in contention with Jalyn Armour-Davis and Marcus Banks for the opening at cornerback vacated by All-American Patrick Surtain II.
While Latham and McKinstry are the two likeliest freshman candidates to land starting roles, fall camp leaves room for surprises. Receiver Agiye Hall took the Tide by storm this spring, coming down with multiple highlight grabs during the A-Day game. He’ll have to jump several veterans to land a spot on the first-team offense. However, if he continues to progress, he’ll be hard to keep off the field.
What will Alabama get from Trey Sanders?
Due to back-to-back season-ending injuries the past two years, Trey Sanders slipped off the radar this offseason. That could change soon depending on how much the five-star back has been able to recover from a hip injury he suffered last November.During spring camp, Saban said Sanders was able to take part in dry-land running, stating he was “really pleased” with how the redshirt sophomore was recovering.
Sanders is perhaps the biggest wildcard in Alabama’s offense this season. If completely healthy, he is arguably the Tide’s most talented option out of the backfield. Even if Sanders is still somewhat limited this fall, his ability to catch out of the backfield and make plays in open space could add a nice change of pace to a bigger back like Brian Robinson Jr.
Who could surprise us this month?
Redshirt junior tight end Cameron Latu served as a pleasant surprise this spring as he emerged as one of Young’s favorite targets during camp. Could Alabama receive another unexpected boost this fall?
One player to watch is outside linebacker Chris Brasswell, who tallied three sacks during the A-Day game. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound defender didn’t play a down after coming to the Tide as a five-star recruit last offseason. While Alabama has plenty of options when it comes to edge rushers, Saban said Brasswell might be useful in a pass-rushing role this season.
“He’s really made a lot of progress, showed some ability in pass rush to really challenge our offense on a daily basis,” Saban said following the A-Day game. “We knew he was a guy that would step up and be a guy to count on and have a role this year. Because of his pass-rush ability he will be a guy we find a role for."
How will the new coaches adjust?
Fall camp isn’t just about the players. Alabama will also continue to break in its five new assistants as Saban looks to once again successfully reload his staff.
The biggest addition of the bunch is Bill O’Brien, who replaces Broyles Award winner Steve Sarkisian at offensive coordinator. The Tide also brought in offensive line coach Doug Marrone, running backs coach Robert Gillespie, special teams/ tight ends coach Drew Svoboda and cornerbacks coach Jay Valai.
While O’Brien is likely to add his own wrinkles to Alabama's offense, recent coaching changes have taught us not to expect drastic changes in the Tide’s philosophy. A more important thing to watch for is how the new assistants are able to command their respective units and ensure that their players avoid complacency and adhere to Saban’s patented Alabama standard over the next month.
