Recruiting Rundown: Balancing Spring Practice with Spring Recruitment

Nick Saban and Co. are busy preparing for the 2023 season, but that doesn't mean recruiting duties are on the back burner.

Spring football is in full swing. Nick Saban and the coaching staff, which include several new faces, are preparing for life after Bryce Young and Will Anderson. 

There is plenty to keep the Alabama football program busy regarding its current roster, but recruiting never takes a holiday. The next crop of talented high school players are taking visits, preparing for camps and possibly committing to a college program.

“It’s just time management," Saban said about balancing spring practice and spring recruiting. "We probably have half a dozen guys or more at every practice and try to spend the mornings on football and I’ll start at, like, 1:00 in the afternoon and meet with recruits until the 2:00 meeting, and then I’m focused in again on football. And on the days we don’t have practice, I make calls from 1:00 to 3:00 to recruits and if some visit, I visit with them during that time."

Saban also said that the rest of the staff is working on recruiting at the same time he is, whether they're conducting player evaluations or another recruiting duty. In addition to the players that visit the facility, Saban also watches tape on four or five players a day.

"It doesn’t take that long," Saban said. "If I don’t have time to do any during the day I just take the laptop home and do it at home. But we’ve already watched a lot of players but we continue to watch as we get new information on guys when they go to combines and things like that."

It can be a lot to juggle, especially with all the changes Alabama football is going through. Then again, it's not like Saban is new to this.

Tide-bits

• Alabama football recently hosted 2026 quarterback Julian Lewis. His three biggest offers are from the Crimson Tide, Georgia and Ohio State.

• If the Crimson Tide gets a commitment from Jordan Ross, that means Alabama would have three of the four best players in the state potentially joining the program in 2024

• Taz Williams, a 2025 receiver, took his first-ever visit to Alabama. Williams plays for Red Oak High School in Texas

Recruits to remember

Kamron Mikell (2024) - ATH, 6 feet, 2 inches, 181 pounds, Statesboro (Ga.) High School

Ja'Michael Jones (2026) - RB, 5 feet, 10 inches, 192 pounds, Trinity Presbyterian School, Montgomery, Ala.