Alabama Announces Date for 2026 A-Day

The Crimson Tide's annual A-Day event in Bryant-Denny Stadium is set for April 11.

Alabama Wide Receiver Rico Scott (11) catches the ball during A-Day at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL on Saturday, Apr 12, 2025. | Photo by Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics

Alabama football announced on Wednesday that next season's A-Day will be on April 11 at 1 p.m. CT, per Yea Alabama, the Crimson Tide's NIL collective.

A-Day serves as the conclusion of spring practice. This practice viewing in Bryant-Denny Stadium is a great way for fans to decipher the unknown depth chart for certain position groups. A-Day also features plenty of freshmen in action to get a glimpse of the Crimson Tide's future, plus a plethora of recruits and 2027 commits are on campus.

Per UA's 2026 A-Day press release:

"While additional details surrounding A-Day will be announced at a later date, attendees should note that some modifications will be made relative to upgraded experiences, activations outside the stadium, concessions and premium seating due to preparations for the concert on Saturday, April 18.

"The annual Walk of Fame ceremony at Denny Chimes, honoring the 2025 captains, will still take place prior to the scrimmage, as will the Walk of Champions."

Last year's A-Day moved away from the scrimmage format, as it was just a typical practice. However, while the aforementioned press release doesn't include the word "game," it does say "scrimmage" towards the end.

Another reason to watch head coach Kalen DeBoer's third A-Day is due to Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson's departure for the NFL Draft. The Crimson Tide has a decision to make next season as to who will be the Week 1 starting quarterback. There will be a competition this spring between rising redshirt junior Austin Mack and rising redshirt freshman Keelon Russell.

Mack was Simpson's primary backup during the season, and after the starter "cracked" his rib late in the first half of the Rose Bowl loss to Indiana, the QB2 subbed in and completed 11 of 16 pass attempts for 103 yards and led the Tide to its first and only points of the day via a field goal by Conor Talty.

"Every game I kind of just tell myself, 'Be Ready,' and I've never been surprised," Mack said after the game. "Anything could happen and I knew I was one play away from getting in the game. So when they told me I was getting in the game, it was just like, 'Let's go and let's just play ball.'

"It was the moment I was ready for. It was something I had been preparing for the whole season. Something I put a lot of work in to get to. Obviously, it's a big stage — the Rose Bowl against the No. 1 team — but I was ready for it."

Mack and Russell will be the sole competitors in this battle, as it's extremely unlikely that incoming freshmen Jett Thomalla and Tayden Kaawa will be considered for the QB1 spot.

"Whether it's Austin or me, I feel like we're going to have the best opportunity for our offense," Russell said before the Rose Bowl. "We're going to be competing all year, all season, all offseason. But I feel 100 percent that if it's going to be me or Austin, the offense is going to be in great hands.

"We're both competitors, we both love the game, we're both going to be in and out of the facility. It's going to be fun. I want to win the starting position, but like I said, whether it's me or Austin, I feel like it's going to be a great season no matter what."

2026 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Schedule:

September 5: East Carolina
September 12: at Kentucky
September 19: Florida State
September 26: South Carolina
October 3: at Mississippi State
October 10: Georgia
October 17: at Tennessee
October 24: Texas A&M (Homecoming)

October 31: Open
November 7: at LSU
November 14: at Vanderbilt
November 21: Chattanooga
November 28: Auburn

Subscribe to BamaCentral's Free Newsletter