Everything Nick Saban Said During Alabama's First Full Week of Spring Football

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama worked indoors for its third practice of spring football, and head coach Nick Saban will speak to the media after practice around 6 p.m.

Stay here for live updates throughout the press conference, and a full transcript will be posted afterward along with video.

Live Updates

Today was the first practice in pads, and Saban thought the players responded pretty well today. Said it was much better than Monday's practice.
Saban said the effort and attitude has been good so far. Says one of the keys to the spring is to develop young players.
There are no new injury updates according to Saban.
Transfer running back Jahmyr Gibbs has been a really good addition to the team Saban says. Good receiver and good burst out of the cut. "Really, really impressed by what he's been able to do."
Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams are both practicing in black non-contact jerseys. Saban says both are recovering nicely. McClellan is a little farther along since he got injured earlier in the season than Williams. Overall, Saban is pleased with the running backs and says that is not an area of concern with this team.
Saban also called transfer wide receiver Jermaine Burton a really good addition to the offense so far.
Henry To'oTo'o, Jordan Battle, DJ Dale and Bryce Young are all guys Saban named as part of the leadership team. Says Young is being a little more assertive this year.
Saban says LSU transfer Eli Ricks is coming off a shoulder injury, but is doing a good job.
Freshman Kendrick Law has speed and size at receiver that is valuable to the team. Saban also said he has a good mindset to deal with frustrations that freshman can deal with when learning a new system. Says Law is a guy that can help out the offense if he continues to develop.

Nick Saban Full Transcript- March 23, 2022

Opening Statement

"This was our third practice today, first practice in pads. And I was really pleased. Kind of an unusual schedule this year to have one practice, then have spring break, then come back and have one practice after nine days off or whatever. But I thought the players responded to it pretty well. Monday wasn’t great, but today first day in pads, I think, was a lot better. And one of the reasons that we like to practice this way is so that we’re practicing kind of every other day and only have back-to-backs on Friday and Saturday when the players don’t have school on Saturday. You’ve got a little bit more time to meet with them so that we can actually make corrections from the film on the day off, which is tomorrow (Thursday). And then just do install on the next practice, which in this case would be Friday.

"So that’s really for teaching purposes with the players. I think the effort, I think the attitude has been good and the key to the drill in spring practice is to be able to develop young players and that’s one of the reasons that we want to practice the way we practice.

"But we’ve got a long way to go in a lot of areas. We’ve got a long way to go with...each and every player has to self-assess as to where they are and what they have to do to improve. That’s what’s going to help them get better, if they can self-assess. And then they’ll be more positive about taking self-correction and coaching, which will certainly enhance their chances of improving.

"No different injuries or anything like that. We’ve kind of got the same guys in, same guys out. And most of the guys that are out are probably going to be out for most of the spring."

On Georgia Tech transfer RB Jahmyr Gibbs

"He has really been a very good addition to our team. He’s got great speed. He’s really a good receiver, good third-down back. He’s got great vision. He’s got really good burst out of a cut. I’m really, really impressed with what he’s been able to do. He’s smart. He picked up things. He’s an experienced player. He really does a good job of understanding what we’re trying to do and how we’re doing it, and that’s what experienced players can do. He’s done a really, really good job."

On the running back group and how Jase McClellan, Roydell Williams are coming along from their injuries

"They’re doing great. They’re in black jerseys. They’re both practicing non-contact. Jase is a little ahead of Roydell because he got hurt a month earlier. But they’re both doing fine. And I’m pleased with the running back situation. We’ve got some experience there. Jamarion Miller has shown some promise. He’s a young player. Trey Sanders is doing good. I don’t know, that’s not an issue on our team at all. We’ve got lots of good players there and we’ll have plenty of depth when the other guys get back."

On acclimating transfer wide receivers skillsets into the Alabama offense

"It's not really hard. I mean, it's easy to see a wide receiver's skillset. And Jermaine Burton has done a really good job. He's been a real positive addition to the receiver corps. He's got quickness. He's got speed. He's got really good hands. He runs good routes, and again, a little more experience, a little more maturity really helps these guys learn and understand how to do things and understand the importance of doing little things right because they've played the game, and they've played against good competition. He has really done an outstanding job at the three practices that we've had so far."

On Alabama's leadership group

"Well, we have four guys that were on the leadership group last year, and we've added one. Henry's [To'oTo'o] been a really, really good leader, Jordan Battle's been a really good leader. We added DJ Dale to the leadership group because he's emerged as a leader in the offseason program. Bryce has been a really good leader and affected a lot of people in a positive way and has developed more and more of a presence as his confidence has grown throughout last season to be more assertive, to get other players to do the things that they need to do to be successful.

"So we really haven't added a whole lot of guys to that group. But it's not just how many leaders and who they are, it's how do the other players respond to leadership. You know, you can have really good leaders on your team, but if players don't respond to it because they don't respect the importance of doing things right, then that's an issue too. And so far, this group has responded fairly well for the most part."

On what he's seen from LSU DB transfer Eli Ricks

"He's done a good job. He's coming off the shoulder injury, so he missed half the season or more than half the season last year. He wasn't able to do anything for a long time. So when he started here in the offseason program, that's the first thing he's done for a long time. You know, he lost some weight. He's been gaining it back, but again, an experienced player who understands how to play the game. He's, picking up things and doing a good job out there. So it's a real positive addition to our team."

Does he look for versatility of positions in recruiting

"No. I mean, look. Some guys have the ability to do that, but we have criteria we are looking for at every position. Sometimes you really find a guy who can find a guy who can play more than one position, so you try to give him the best opportunity to play where he has a chance to play. If that doesn't work out, you might try and see if he has a better chance to develop a career at another position. It's always nice to have guys who can play multiple positions, but when they're freshmen, you have to put them in one place and teach them how to play one position because it's too overwhelming for them to try to play multiple positions when they're young.

"Every player is different when it comes to how they develop. I think the most important thing is that young players focus on development and they don't worry so much about what team they're on, who's in front of them and who's behind them. They just control what they can control and focus on their development."

On freshman WR Kendrick Law

"He's done a nice job. He's a guy that could play multiple positions if that creates value, in your opinion. But he has done a really good job at receiver. He's got some speed, he's got some size, he runs good routes, he's got really good hands. He's picked up on things and sort of has the right mindset to be able to deal with some of the frustrations young players go through when they're trying to learn a system and are making more mistakes than they're used to probably. He plays through it, and he's made a lot of plays, and I think he's a guy who might be able to help us if he continues to develop."