What did Alabama football show during Kalen DeBoer’s first practices? Here’s what I learned

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It’s time to replace “different” with “normal.”

There’s no question that Alabama football has a different feel this spring — music is blaring through the practice fields, media members are on hand periodically for viewing sessions and assistant coaches are made available for interviews to document the progress. There are new schemes and new position group nicknames such as “SwarmD,” “Takers” (wide receivers) and “Juice Squad: (offensive line), and there’s a new man at the helm of the program.

It’s certainly not the same, but spring practice has brought the program back to its most normal state: focusing on football.

“I think our kids have done a really good job of adapting to different,” running backs coach Robert Gillespie said. “The more you can adapt, the easier and faster you can adapt to change, it becomes normal. I think now it’s normal. We’re putting the footballs out there, we’re playing football and you know the word ‘different’ doesn’t come up in the building anymore. It’s become who we are.”

It had been hard to focus squarely on football the past two months. Conversations around Alabama have centered around the transfer portal, coaching searches and how the program will look post-Nick Saban. That last question won’t go away, but spring practice allows for those topics to take a backseat. As Gillespie later put it: “These kids are here to play football.”

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— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) March 9, 2024

The new normal for Alabama is a melting pot of Kalen DeBoer’s philosophies and the existing football culture. Amid all the change, traditions such as the Fourth Quarter conditioning program remained intact. That’s important to players like Tyler Booker, who said he ran into former player Najee Harris during Super Bowl week. Harris asked if that program is still around, to which Booker said “of course.” But DeBoer is still going to do things his way, and the confidence it takes to do that is why he was hired.

What else is normal within Alabama football? Interest in the Tide is still high. On Monday, ESPN announced it will broadcast the April 13 A-Day spring game — the only one that will air on the flagship channel.

For now, the football team is on spring break after three practices. When they return, the pads will come on, and that’s when real moves will be made. Still, the first week provided insight into where things stand. Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

Offense

• What initially stands out is the volume of DeBoer’s offense. Players noted that there are more drill periods this spring, whether competitive (offense vs. defense) or in their position groups. Receiver Kendrick Law said the offense is getting the playbook in digestible pieces, with the goal that it will evolve into the diverse attack that led Washington to the national championship game.

“We run a lot of different schemes in our offense,” wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard said. “Even some of the things that you saw at Washington, we have other things that are in the playbook that would allow us to scheme pretty much anything we see (against a defense); we just didn’t see those things. The detail at which we do things, that’s what’s probably been the thing that’s been most daunting for our players.”

• At quarterback, Jalen Milroe returns as the incumbent in a group that includes Ty Simpson, Austin Mack and Dylan Lonergan. To no surprise, Milroe started spring with the first team and received votes of confidence from both DeBoer and offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan. He still has to earn it each day, but so does any starting player at Alabama when surrounded by blue-chip talent.

One element of Milroe’s persona that became famous last season was his work ethic. That’s something that’s continued this spring, by multiple accounts.

“I heard he gets here at 3-something in the morning,” Law said. “I mean, I’m not getting up that early, so he’s going to win every time.”

“He’s a great leader,” running back Justice Haynes said. “He leads all the time. He leads by example. He’s the first one here in the morning. He’s going to lead. He’s going to grind. The work that he puts in, I love it.”

Simpson would have garnered serious interest in the transfer portal but has returned as the definitive No. 2. The practice viewing period showed Mack as the third quarterback in drills ahead of Lonergan, which shouldn’t be a big surprise given Mack’s knowledge of the offense after following DeBoer from Washington. At 6 feet 6, Mack is an impressive prospect who should only continue ascending in year two of the scheme.

The first few days were focused on the organization of the offense, including getting the personnel in the right places and making the right checks at the line. The practices ahead will help create separation, but top to bottom it’s shaping up to be one of the better quarterback rooms in the SEC, if not all of college football.

Justice Haynes had 25 carries for 168 yards as a freshman. (Gary Cosby Jr. / Tuscaloosa News / USA Today Network)

• It feels like Alabama has co-starters in running backs Haynes and Jam Miller, who are alternating as RB1 in drills and team periods. It’s a different dynamic for DeBoer’s offense, which mostly relied on one option last season. The biggest difference so far is an emphasis on pass catching.

“We’ve run a lot more routes,” Haynes said. “I feel like we’ve installed a lot more routes, which is really good. You can showcase your talent in all aspects of the game and be a complete back, which I love.”

Gillespie pointed out that redshirt freshman Richard Young is not to be forgotten. Young enrolled last summer and wasn’t much of a factor in his first season. He’s been one of the fastest to pick up the new playbook and has a chance to push for a role once the pads come on.

Freshman Daniel Hill is an impressive physical specimen but battled a few injuries during the conditioning period and needs to get into a little better shape, per Gillespie. Still, his physical nature while running has earned high marks, making him a building block to watch down the road.

• The biggest development in the wide receiving corps came courtesy of Law, who bluntly announced a new addition:

“Caleb Odom is a wide receiver,” Law said. “He is not a tight end.”

Odom, a 6-5, 215-pound freshman, adds a dynamic to Alabama that it hasn’t had in a while: a fade option in the red zone who has the ability to stretch the field and catch 50/50 balls. Odom was projected to be a tight end after playing wide receiver in high school. Alabama is well positioned at tight end, which allowed for Odom to find a role elsewhere.

“I think with Caleb we’re just trying to put him in a position to be successful early on in his career,” Sheridan said. “How his body grows and what he turns into when he’s 20 to 22 years old, I think time will tell, but he certainly runs plenty good enough to play wide receiver. He’s a big target, so we just try to put him in a position early on to try not to run into 275-pound people and put him in a position so he can have success.”

Law has continued his momentum from last season and impressed Shephard. He was a bit of a do-it-all player for Alabama last season, and while his exact role isn’t known yet, he has emerged as the leader.

“He is a leader amongst leaders,” Shepherd said. “That’s been my biggest impression. He’s got the guys showing up here at 5 o’clock in the morning to do extra work, to watch additional film to ensure that they know what’s going on.”

• Tight end has taken a bit of a hit with Odom’s move and senior CJ Dippre being held out of last week’s practice in a non-contact jersey. Two players who took advantage of the extra reps were redshirt sophomore Danny Lewis Jr. and redshirt freshman Ty Lockwood.

• For a comprehensive update on the offensive line, read Monday’s story.

Defense

• Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack provided some clarity about the small differences between his scheme and the one Saban implemented.

“I would say Saban was a little bit more of a 3-4 structure, carried that over the last 17 years here, but it kind of evolved to a little bit more of a 3-4 with a nickel,” Wommack said. “That’s really how we’ve evolved. My dad was one of the originators of the 4-2-5 defense. We do those things, we still get four-down looks, but we move in and out with that outside (linebacker) into the boundary. So really, we’ve kind of evolved more toward (Saban) and he’s probably evolved a little bit more toward us. So the learning curve for our players is less than you would think.”

There’s new terminology, but early returns indicate that it hasn’t been too difficult of a transition. It helps that the core of the defense, the inside linebackers, is almost intact with starters Deontae Lawson and Jihaad Campbell returning.

The battle for the third spot, a role that proved important last season, is between senior Justin Jefferson and Jeremiah Alexander, who switched positions midway through last season. Jefferson’s experience at the position gives him an edge, but Alexander’s ceiling isn’t to be discounted. And from a physical standpoint, the freshmen — Cayden Jones, Sterling Dixon and Justin Okoronkwo — looked the part during the media viewing session.

DC Kane Wommack went 22-16 as South Alabama’s head coach. (Gary Cosby Jr. / Tuscaloosa News / USA Today Network)

• The defensive line is perhaps the deepest unit on the team. The biggest development is Keon Keeley starting to work at the new “bandit” outside defensive end position. According to position coach Freddie Roach, the former five-star edge prospect gained weight over the offseason but still has pass rush twitch. It’s an open position battle also featuring Jah-Marien Latham, Khurtiss Perry, LT Overton and Jordan Renaud.

“We just need to get him on the field more,” Roach said. “That would be the best thing. Again, he’s bought in. He works hard every day. He wants to know what he’s got to do to get better and we’re going to continue to do that and develop that kid. I mean he’s a great athlete, great kid, a great student-athlete. He’s got everything you need.”

Keeley still has a ways to go in his development. That was apparent in the open viewing period when Roach took extra time to work with Keeley on the sled to refine his hand placement technique. The nuances of the position will come with time. For now, the leader of the bandit battle is the veteran Latham, who’s earned the trust of Roach and is first up in drills.

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• At outside linebacker, three practices are too few for any sweeping declarations, but senior Quandarrius Robinson has taken an early leadership role as the eldest in a young group.

“That’s a role I’m trying to work myself into,” Robinson said. “These kids are amazing. I don’t want to call them kids, but I guess I’m an old head now. It’s just fun getting to know them, learning the different ways they learn and trying to help them out in the end, too.”

• Defensive back is one of the highest-interest positions this spring. USC transfer cornerback Domani Jackson looks the part and has made an immediate impression, and redshirt freshman Jahlil Hurley emerged during winter workouts and has carried that momentum onto the field.

“Jahlil Hurley has been here and has a tremendous work ethic,” Wommack said. “I’ve been so impressed with him through the Fourth Quarter program and the things that he’s done, just to elevate himself into a position to go compete for a job, and then there are a number of freshmen that are extremely impressive.”

The viewing session revealed a “starting” secondary of Hurley, Jackson, Malachi Moore, Keon Sabb and freshman Red Morgan. The second unit featured Zabien Brown and Jaylen Mbakwe at corner and DeVonta Smith, Bray Hubbard and Peyton Woodyard at safety/husky.

Morgan’s ascension is the biggest development as an early enrollee. A lot can change, but there’s no doubt he’s made a strong impression.

“It’s just crazy to see how athletic he is,” Moore said. “Once he gets the coverages down as well as the nuances of college football, he’ll be a great player for us.”

(Top photo: Gary Cosby Jr. / Tuscaloosa News / USA Today Network)