Notebook: Jase McClellan Impresses, 2021 A-Day Game Attendance Ranks 15th All-Time
Jase McClellan Shines
While he didn't get the spotlight compared to other players at the 2021 A-Day Game, sophomore running back Jase McClellan has a solid outing on Saturday.
McClellan lead the Crimson Team in both rushing and receptions, with the sophomore hauling in seven catches for 62 yards and rushing 12 times for 46 yards.
While his Crimson Team ultimately lost the game 13-10 to the White Team, McClellan put forth a solid effort as the Crimson Tide's leading rusher of the day.
Opposite McClellan on the White Team, sophomore running back Roydell Willams was the Crimson Tides' second-highest rusher of the day, rushing for 43 yards on 12 attempts.
Nick Saban Humorous Moments
When it comes to being Alabama's head coach, Nick Saban isn't exactly known as the most humorous guy around.
However, on Saturday, Saban had multiple humorous moments, including one on the field and one following the game in his postgame interview.
When asked about his avoiding being hit by defenders during an interception return, Saban joked that it is his defenders that need to avoid being hit by him and not the other way around.
“The players know that if they run into me it is very similar to running into the goal post, so it is not a good choice and decision for them so they usually avoid me," Saban joked. "I wear a jacket like this, so they can really see where I am for their safety, not really for mine. They all avoided. It shows athleticism on their part. It also showed their respect for player safety by not running into me.”
During the game, Saban also had a funny moment following a trick play that saw wide receiver Slade Bolden throw an incomplete pass:
Attendance Record
With a maximum capacity set at 50 percent inside Bryant-Denny Stadium due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a total of 47,218 fans packed inside the stadium at Saturday's A-Day Game, making it the 15th-most attended A-Day Game in scrimmage history.
When taking into account the limited capacity in the 2020 season, the number of fans inside Bryant-Denny Stadium also exceeded any regular-season attendance since the 2019 season.
Top 20 A-Day Game Attendance Numbers
(Rank, year, attendance)
1. 2011 92,310
2. 2007 92,138
3. 2010 91,312
4. 2009 84,050
5. 2012 78,526
6. 2013 78,315
7. 2008 78,200
8. 2016 76,212
9. 2018 74,732
10. 2017 74,326
11. 2014 73,506
12. 2015 65,175
13. 2019 62,219
14. 1988 51,117
15. 2021 47,218
16. 1994 46,700
17. 2006 40,000
18. 1995 37,323
19. 2002 37,000
20. 2004 35,000
2001 35,000
Full Spring Awards List
Spring Football Award Winners
The following Alabama football players were honored for the performance throughout spring football practice with the following awards bestowed by the Crimson Tide coaching staff:
Award Recipients
Lee Roy Jordan Headhunter Award: Will Anderson Jr., Brian Robinson Jr.
Jerry Duncan “I Like to Practice” Award: Slade Bolden, Darrian Dalcourt, Kyle Edwards, Kendall Randolph, Drew Sanders, Daniel Wright
Billy Neighbors Defensive Lineman Award: Justin Eboigbe, DJ Dale, Byron Young
Paul Crane Offensive Lineman Award: Evan Neal, Chris Owens
Bobby Johns Defensive Back Award: Jordan Battle, Josh Jobe
Johnny Musso Offensive Back Award: Jase McClellan, Roydell Williams
Ray Perkins Receiver Award: Javon Baker, Jahleel Billingsley
Woodrow Lowe Linebacker Award: Chris Allen, Christian Harris
Derrick Thomas Community Service Award: Shane Lee, Brian Robinson, Ronald Williams
Bear Bryant Outstanding Non-Scholarship Award: Braxton Barker, Bret Bolin, DJ Douglas, Joshua Lanier, Sam Willoughby
Ozzie Newsome Most Improved Freshman Award: Chris Braswell, Dameion George, Agiye Hall, Traeshon Holden, JC Latham, Deontae Lawson, Ga’Quincy McKinstry, Que Robinson, Tim Smith
Bart Starr Most Improved Player Award: Jalyn Armour-Davis, Marcus Banks, Brian Branch, Demarcco Hellams, Cameron Latu, Seth McLaughlin, Jaylen Moody
Mal Moore Leadership Award: Phil Mathis, John Metchie
Sylvester Croom Commitment to Excellence Award: LaBryan Ray, Will Reichard, Bryce Young
In addition to these awards given by the coaches, the media honors two players for their performance in the A-Day game. The following award winners were voted on by the media:
Dwight Stephenson Award (Most Valuable Lineman): Jah-Marien Latham
Dixie Howell Memorial Award (Most Valuable Player): Bryce Young
Tide-bits:
The Golden Flake A-Day Game Brings an End to Spring Practice
The University of Alabama football team and head coach Nick Saban wrapped up spring practice today with the 2021 Golden Flake A-Day Game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama opened spring practice on Friday, March 19, and held 14 practices through Thursday, April 15, leading up to today's A-Day game. The Crimson Tide also held two scrimmages here at Bryant-Denny Stadium this spring (April 2 and April 10) in preparation for today's game.
Walk of Fame Ceremony Honored 2019 and 2020 Team Captains
The annual Walk of Fame ceremony took place Saturday at Denny Chimes, and due to the pandemic in 2020, for the first time, the ceremony featured two classes of captains. The 2020 permanent team captains – center Landon Dickerson, quarterback Mac Jones, offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood and wide receiver DeVonta Smith – and the 2019 permanent captains – linebacker Anfernee Jennings, safety Xavier McKinney, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and Smith (two-time captain) – had their hand and foot prints placed in cement at the base of Denny Chimes.
A-Day Game Format
The format for the A-Day game was much like a normal game, with a few minor variations primarily regarding the game clock. The game consisted of four 15-minute quarters with a running clock. The clock stopped only following scoring plays, penalties, and changes of possession. Regular clock rules were used during the final minutes of the second quarter and the fourth quarter. Halftime was 12 minutes in duration. Players wearing black jerseys (quarterbacks and injured players) were considered "tag-off" and were not treated as live players. The kickoffs and kick returns were "tag-off" plays as well, with the ball spotted at the 30-yard line.
