Alabama Football Spring Practice Report before A-Day Scrimmage

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Alabama football is just a few days away from an open scrimmage in front of the public for the 2026 A-Day Game, but until then, the media got one last peak at what the Crimson Tide's been working on this spring.
The media was allowed to watch two of Alabama's practice periods during Tuesday morning's practice. Here are some of BamaCentral's practice notes and observations:
Practice report
- One quarterback will have to be the first one to take the field on Saturday for A-Day, but Alabama was not giving any hints on who that might be during practice. During the periods the media could see, the quarterbacks were always throwing in groups of three. Austin Mack and Keelon Russell were always part of the first group, and the freshmen QBs Tayden Evan-Kaawa and Jett Thomalla rotated in with that group.
- During the drills where all three were throwing at the same time, the quarterbacks first worked on shorter routes like slants on different parts of the field. They then worked on deep routes to all segments of the field.
- Based on the groupings of wide receives, it seems pretty clear that Ryan Coleman-Williams, Lotzeir Brooks and NC State transfer Noah Rogers will be Alabama's starters at receiver with Rico Scott, Derek Meadows and Cederian Morgan also in the mix.
- Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said at the beginning of spring practice that senior safety Bray Hubbard would be limited this spring. He was not wearing a black jersey on Tuesday and did not appear to be limited. He did not have any noticeable braces or wraps on his body.
- DeBoer was keeping a watchful eye over the quarterbacks during the media viewing period.
- The cornerbacks started with some press drills off the snap that also involved containing inside leverage. Red Morgan, who has moved all around the secondary the past two years between safety, HUSKY and cornerback, had a really solid rep.
- The CBs then worked on a coverage in traffic drill, where two receivers lined up behind each other and one corner was lined up roughly five yards behind the other. After the ball was snapped, the receivers went in opposite directions and the CBs had to quickly decide and follow. Starter Zabien Brown handled this with ease.
- Perhaps the most exciting drill from the CBs was one where they pressed against each other and went stride for stride before cutting the route and hauling in an interception. Starter Dijon Lee used his renowned 6-foot-4 frame to disrupt the pass, and his catch radius made it look easy.
- Alabama defensive backs coach Maurice Linguist was animated throughout each of the drills. He commended multiple players, but also scolded a couple with hopes that their next rep is much better.
- The Alabama Wolf linebackers worked on a block shedding drill. This involved a swim move on a dummy pad at the line of scrimmage and then pushing another pad downward in the backfield. It wasn’t necessarily a full-speed drill, but rather more about getting the technique down.
- South Carolina transfer Desmond Umeozulu used some force in the Wolf linebacker drills. Alabama Wolf linebackers coach Christian Robinson showed his approval for Umeozulu after a couple of reps.
- The Alabama offensive line spent its early portion of practice working on one-on-one blocking with improving technique and drive as the focus. The starters were difficult to tell due to this, but Jackson Lloyd led the majority of the drills along with center transfer Racin Delgatty.
- The linemen rotated through drills keeping their pads low and staying under the chute. Texas transfer Nick Brooks impressed with his hands as he violently moved his men every time he got a chance to take a rep. Brooks has worked at left guard and right tackle this spring, providing new offensive line coach Adrian Klemm with an interesting chess piece.
- The Alabama wolves came into view in the midst of the offensive line drills with Yhonzae Pierre leading the group. The Crimson Tide outside linebackers had Pierre, Dezmond Umeozulu, Justin HIll and Jamarion Matthews cycling through drills with Christian Robinson barking instructions, urging his group to play with violence. One of the assistants shouted for Matthews to break the blocking dummy saying the program would just buy another to replace it. Kane Wommack stood to observe the drill and smiled commending the violence and force the four were bringing to the morning practice.
Practice footage
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Katie Windham is the assistant editor for BamaCentral, primarily covering football, basketball, gymnastics and softball. She is a two-time graduate of the University of Alabama and has covered a variety of Crimson Tide athletics since 2019 for outlets like The Tuscaloosa News, The Crimson White and the Associated Press before joining BamaCentral full time in 2021. Windham has covered College Football Playoff games, the Women's College World Series, NCAA March Madness, SEC Tournaments and championships in multiple sports.
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