By Tony Tsoukalas
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama returned outside Wednesday as the Crimson Tide took part in its sixth practice of fall camp. Players wore full pads as they worked under muggy 81-degree weather.
Here are some notes from the media viewing period:
— VanDarius Cowan was dressed in a black, no-contact jersey for the fourth straight practice and was stretching on the sidelines during the viewing period. He was wearing a high-altitude mask.
— Minkah Fitzpatrick spent time with both the cornerbacks and the safeties. At times he appeared to be moving into the STAR position while Tony Brown was deployed outside as a corner. This could be something Alabama head coach Nick Saban experiments with in the future. Fitzpatrick started his college career playing star, while Brown, a track-star, has the speed to play cornerback. If Alabama does go in that direction, Hootie Jones will most likely be paired with Ronnie Harrison at safety.
— I definitely wouldn't write off Trevon Diggs keeping his spot at corner, though. He looks solid at the position and according to teammates is growing day by day.
— Speaking of Jones, he looked fluid in coverage when Alabama was working on tracking drills on deep balls. Jones and Alabama’s secondary struggled with the deep ball this spring. In the senior wants a starting position this fall, he will have to show improvement in that area.
— Nigel Knott appeared to be working with the second unit secondary at corner, while Shyheim Carter was on the second-team unit at STAR. Both young defensive backs show a lot of promise. While Alabama might not have much experience in the back end of its secondary, it does not lack talent.
— Still no movement on Alabama’s first unit offensive line. The Tide lined up with Jonah Williams, Ross Pierschbacher, Bradley Bozeman, Lester Cotton and Matt Womack from right to left. Scott Lashley, Dallas Warmack, J.C. Hassenauer, Richie Petitbon and Alex Leatherwood made up the second unit.
— Moving to quarterback, we might have seen a new wrinkle in the Tide’s offense. Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa both worked on play-action passes where they appeared to fake a shovel off a jet sweep before throwing it down field. This might mean that the jet sweep is here to stay under Brian Daboll, but the first-year offensive coordinator appears to be putting his own spin on the play.
— We saw a much-improved performance from the wide receivers Wednesday, as the wideouts made nice, sharp cuts during individual drills. I’ve said it a lot, but Devonta has the best cuts on the team.
— We got a good close-up look at the inside linebackers. I know some people have been asking about Mack Wilson, and the sophomore looks big and physical during his drills.
— Another player who caught my eye was Keith Holcombe, who delivered a nice pop on Dylan Moses during a thudding drill, prompting Jeremy Pruitt to ask the freshman if he was feeling OK. No worries, Moses is fine.
Highlights From Wednesday
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama returned outside Wednesday as the Crimson Tide took part in its sixth practice of fall camp. Players wore full pads as they worked under muggy 81-degree weather.
Here are some notes from the media viewing period:
— VanDarius Cowan was dressed in a black, no-contact jersey for the fourth straight practice and was stretching on the sidelines during the viewing period. He was wearing a high-altitude mask.
— Minkah Fitzpatrick spent time with both the cornerbacks and the safeties. At times he appeared to be moving into the STAR position while Tony Brown was deployed outside as a corner. This could be something Alabama head coach Nick Saban experiments with in the future. Fitzpatrick started his college career playing star, while Brown, a track-star, has the speed to play cornerback. If Alabama does go in that direction, Hootie Jones will most likely be paired with Ronnie Harrison at safety.
— I definitely wouldn't write off Trevon Diggs keeping his spot at corner, though. He looks solid at the position and according to teammates is growing day by day.
— Speaking of Jones, he looked fluid in coverage when Alabama was working on tracking drills on deep balls. Jones and Alabama’s secondary struggled with the deep ball this spring. In the senior wants a starting position this fall, he will have to show improvement in that area.
— Nigel Knott appeared to be working with the second unit secondary at corner, while Shyheim Carter was on the second-team unit at STAR. Both young defensive backs show a lot of promise. While Alabama might not have much experience in the back end of its secondary, it does not lack talent.
— Still no movement on Alabama’s first unit offensive line. The Tide lined up with Jonah Williams, Ross Pierschbacher, Bradley Bozeman, Lester Cotton and Matt Womack from right to left. Scott Lashley, Dallas Warmack, J.C. Hassenauer, Richie Petitbon and Alex Leatherwood made up the second unit.
— Moving to quarterback, we might have seen a new wrinkle in the Tide’s offense. Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa both worked on play-action passes where they appeared to fake a shovel off a jet sweep before throwing it down field. This might mean that the jet sweep is here to stay under Brian Daboll, but the first-year offensive coordinator appears to be putting his own spin on the play.
— We saw a much-improved performance from the wide receivers Wednesday, as the wideouts made nice, sharp cuts during individual drills. I’ve said it a lot, but Devonta has the best cuts on the team.
— We got a good close-up look at the inside linebackers. I know some people have been asking about Mack Wilson, and the sophomore looks big and physical during his drills.
— Another player who caught my eye was Keith Holcombe, who delivered a nice pop on Dylan Moses during a thudding drill, prompting Jeremy Pruitt to ask the freshman if he was feeling OK. No worries, Moses is fine.
Highlights From Wednesday
Last edited:
