FAYETTEVILLE, AR - OCTOBER 6: Head Coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide jogs off the field before a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Razorback Stadium on October 6, 2018 in Tuscaloosa, Alabamai. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) Alabama Basketball: Tide B-Ball fans should be happy about one thing by Ronald Evans Alabama football hit the practice field for the first time Friday and based on who did and did not take part, and at what position, there is interesting news. On Friday, the revamped Alabama football staff put the 2019 Alabama Crimson Tide through practice session No. 1 of the spring season. Due to the school’s Spring Break calendar, the Tide will not practice again until Mar. 18. Typical for the first day, the Crimson Tide was in shorts and helmets but no pads. It was a warm, overcast afternoon in Tuscaloosa as the team worked outside. Notably not observed on day 1 was Ale Kaho. Suspended players not seen were Elliot Baker and Kedrick James. Alabama football insiders have predicted Baker will not be a member of the 85-man roster at some point this spring or fall. James is expected to be suspended for early season games. Another player, in a similar situation to James, Deonte Brown, did participate on Friday. Also absent was Ben Davis who is recouping from two recent surgeries. At least for Friday, one Tide linebacker, Cameron Latu was working with the tight ends. No other significant position changes were noted. Another slight surprise was Tyrell Shavers working in the first four group of wide receivers. Shavers has been working with the Alabama baseball team, who had a game Friday afternoon. Anfernee Jennings and Chris Allen worked with knee braces and both appeared to be nearing 100 percent recovery. Josh McMillon worked with Dylan Moses as the first group of inside linebackers. Shyheim Carter was in a black jersey and working with the safeties instead of the corners. Previously injured players, Trevon Diggs, Jaylin Armour-Davis and Daniel Wright appeared to be fully recovered. Some Alabama football fans will be surprised freshman Antonio Alfano was working with the third of three defensive line trios. Ahead of Alfano were Christian Barmore, Tevita Musika and another true freshman, Justin Eboigbe. The first three were Kwon Davis, LaBryan Ray and Phidarian Mathis. On the offensive line, Alex Leatherwood was at left tackle with the first group, with Emil Ekiyor next to him at left guard. Chris Owens was at center, with Matt Womack at right guard and Jedrick Wills at right tackle. it should be remembered the pecking order seen at practice represents what Nick Saban calls organization groupings and not an actual depth chart. Alabama football fans will be excited to know freshman kicker, Will Reichard was doing punter drills on Friday. Reichard was a placekicker and a punter in high school. Nick Saban will have his first 2019 season, media review early Friday night. Bama Hammer will provide the highlights.<doc-sep>Days away from the start of Alabama football 2019 spring practice, let’s review a depth chart for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Change is the operative word for Alabama football as it nears Spring Practice for the 2019 season. A rebuilt Alabama football staff must learn how to mesh with each other. New offensive and defensive coordinators will implement scheme and formation changes. A new, very young Crimson Tide roster will work to learn, improve and battle for playing opportunities. Alabama football fans are confident new Defensive Coordinator, Pete Golding will adhere to Nick Saban’s complex 3-4 defense. New Offensive Coordinator, Steve Sarkisian is expected to incorporate ‘West-Coast’ offensive schemes and how much that will merge with RPO concepts is a mystery. Not knowing what Sark will do with formations, we structure this early depth chart projection with three wides, a tight end and one running back. Players with names in bold are the ones we project to receive the most significant roles. Quarterback, Running Back and Wide Receivers Quarterback Starter: Tua Tagovailoa Backup: Mac Jones Reserves: Layne Hatcher, Taulia Tagovailoa and Paul Tyson Tua is a no-brainer. Mac has inherited the backup role as the only other QB with game experience. Could Lia Tagovailoa or another backup come out of spring as the No. 2? We doubt anyone else could make that much progress. It is possible that at some point in Fall Camp, the No. 2 is designated as an ‘or’ situation. Running Back Starter: Najee Harris Backup: Brian Robinson Reserves: Jonathan Ford, Trey Sanders, Keilan Robinson At least three running backs will rotate again. If Sark uses two-back sets, it could be four. Sanders and Keilan Robinson are summer enrolls and not available for spring practices. Wide Receivers Starters: Devonta Smith, Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III Backups: Jaylen Waddle, Chadarius Townsend and Tyrell Shavers Reserves: Slade Bolden and Xavier Williams Jaylen Waddle will really be a fourth starter. After Waddle, the other wides who will rotate in are unclear. Tyrell Shavers would seem to be a clear rotation guy but he is also participating in baseball this spring. From the 2018 class, Xavier Williams and Slade Bolden have a chance to reach the two-deep.<doc-sep>Alabama released its 15-day spring football practice schedule Friday, and spring ball will be back in Tuscaloosa in one week. The Crimson Tide will return to the field Friday, March 8, for its inaugural spring practice prior to the university's week-long spring break (March 11-15). It will be the team's first time back on the practice field since the end of the 2018-19 season on Monday, Jan. 11. March 8 will also be the first practice for Alabama's seven new assistant coaches -- as well as the first practice as coordinator for Pete Golding -- and 15 early enrollees. Coach Nick Saban will hold eight press conferences, including one after March 8's first practice. All practices are closed to the public, other than the A-Day Game on April 13. The final, only open scrimmage of the spring will take place at Bryant-Denny Stadium and will air on ESPN2 at 1 p.m. CT. Alabama's 2019 Spring Football Practice Schedule: Friday, March 8 -- 3:30 p.m. Monday, March 18 -- 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 20 -- 3:30 p.m. Friday, March 22 -- 3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 23 -- TBD Tuesday, March 26 -- 3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 28 -- 3:30 p.m. **Saturday, March 30 -- TBD Monday, April 1 -- 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 3 -- 3:30 p.m. Friday, April 5 -- 3:30 p.m. **Saturday, April 6 -- TBD Tuesday, April 9 -- 3:30 p.m. Thursday, April 11 -- 3:30 p.m. **Saturday, April 13 -- 1 p.m. ** indicate scrimmage dates at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Contact Charlie Potter by 247Sports' personal messaging or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter). *** Don't miss a VIP update with our FREE trial of BamaOnLine. Sign up HERE ***<doc-sep>It just feels different this year, doesn’t it? As Spring Practice begins, the Alabama Crimson Tide finds itself in a familiar position — rebuilding, revamping, reloading. Graduation, professional careers, and coaching departures have become as much a rite of Spring as winning 12 games and inking great recruits has been throughout the season. At the same time, ‘Bama finds itself in an unusual position too, one that newer Alabama fans may have never even experienced: It comes into 2019 fresh off of a blowout loss of historic proportions. That bleak January night where the Tide bumbled its way to a 44-16 loss was the worst of the Saban era...by a factor of two touchdowns. In fact, it was the worst Alabama loss since — ironically enough — Nick Saban’s BCS Championship LSU Tigers strolled into Tuscaloosa in 2003 and demolished the sanction-crippled Tide. Accountability has to start at the top. And Nick Saban has been very upfront about the failure of coaching in that fiasco. So, some heads rolled, such as very popular super-recruiter Tosh Lupoi being exiled to the NFL. Some left for reasons of ambition (Josh Gattis); others for no-brain promotions (Mike Locksley). And still others whined and cried their way out of town, like Dan Enos. In fact, of the 2018 staff, only Karl Scott (DBs), Jeff Banks (ST/TE) and Pete Golding (DC) remain. And, just as the staff was completely overhauled in 2018, so too does Alabama enter March with many new faces. But, while the fanbase rolled into last Spring with unbound optimism, there is a palpable nervousness among many this season. We have now experienced what effect riding the perpetual carousel can have on the team; from inexperience and being outschemed, to game preparation, to simply being distracted — even if the end product of those was a one-off bad night. And, just as there is another rebuild in progress with the coaching staff, so too is there a lot to rebuild on the field as well. At this point, it is fair to say that the 2019 Alabama Crimson Tide may be the deepest, most talented team and that it unquestionably has the nation’s best skills players, but it also has more questions than answers. Still to be settled over the next five months include: Fixing an interior linebacking corps that has been uncharacteristically soft and mistake-prone the last two seasons. Finding a replacement for Deionte Thompson. The loss of Minkah Fitzpatrick was mitigated somewhat last year by the certain knowledge that DT14 was another superstar-in-waiting at safety. was mitigated somewhat last year by the certain knowledge that DT14 was another superstar-in-waiting at safety. The defensive line must fill the void left by the best player in the nation last season, Quinnen Williams. Big 92 disguised a lot of sins behind him. And the ever-steady Isaiah Buggs leaves a hole on the strongside that has been filled competently the last two seasons. leaves a hole on the strongside that has been filled competently the last two seasons. The offensive line will have to replace three starters, one crucial backup, and two players who either transferred or were dismissed. There is abundant incoming talent, and last year’s remaining starters will be collecting paychecks on Sunday soon. But, after a few seasons of relative certainty, the big uglies have several question marks and jobs up for grabs. What to do with special teams? Last year some aspects of the ‘Bama kicking game were abysmal: Alabama returned and fielded kicks/punts very well. It was when they were tasked to score that the special teams issues arose: Austin Jones , brought in as a safety net, hit just one of three field goal attempts. He also missed three-of-eleven extra point tries. He wasn’t alone by any stretch. After being redshirted over his 2017 Fall Camp performance, R-FR Joseph Bulovas came in and was generally a very steady placekicker (78%.) But, even he caught a case of #CollegeKickers and missed six extra point attempts. , brought in as a safety net, hit just one of three field goal attempts. He also missed three-of-eleven extra point tries. He wasn’t alone by any stretch. After being redshirted over his 2017 Fall Camp performance, R-FR Joseph Bulovas came in and was generally a very steady placekicker (78%.) But, even he caught a case of #CollegeKickers and missed six extra point attempts. Punting, long a strength of the program was frankly abysmal in 2018. The nation’s No. 1 punting prospect, Skyler DeLong was called on just 16 times, but he only averaged 34.4 wobbly, shanked yards-per-attempt. Walk-on Mike Bernier proved to be a bit more certain. But, he’s a hang-time punter without a big leg. What the Tide gained in downfield coverage was negated by his 38 yards-per-attempt. was called on just 16 times, but he only averaged 34.4 wobbly, shanked yards-per-attempt. Walk-on proved to be a bit more certain. But, he’s a hang-time punter without a big leg. What the Tide gained in downfield coverage was negated by his 38 yards-per-attempt. Finally, anyone that watched the CFP Championship game has to be least marginally concerned with how Tua Tagovailoa bounces back from his worst performance in a Crimson jersey. While he was a sophomore last season, Tua entered 2018 with only 77 passes under his belt, and Clemson marked just his 15th start. Unfortunately, it was also that game where he played like it; cocksure-but-error-filled. It is fair to say, on a night where many individual efforts disappointed, that Tua’s was one of the worst. How does he respond? Leaders lead, and how he overcomes that game and learns from adversity will say a great deal about him, affect his pro fortunes, and guide the success of the 2019 season. Much as the 2014 Sugar Bowl revealed systemic flaws in the composition of the team in a changing game, 2019 finds the Tide at another crossroads. But, it is not a roster issue, it is one of The Process: Alabama is 2-2 against Clemson in the previous four seasons, and has defensively struggled in three of those outings.<doc-sep>
On Friday Alabama introduced the better part of what will be the 2019 Crimson Tide to the football practice field. It was an introduction that will be renewed when players return from The University’s spring break on Monday, March 18. The Tide’s 15 spring practices will conclude with the A-Day Game on April 13. Football players got away from campus a little later than their classmates, who were beating it out of Tuscaloosa for home, the beach, whatever all day Thursday and Friday. The Tide players almost certainly went with several messages regarding behavior, what to expect upon their return, etc. One lecture they no doubt have heard, and which Coach Nick Saban shared with the media following Friday’s first practice, is the No. 1 goal of spring training. “We have to re-establish the Alabama Factor,” Saban said. “We’ve always been a team that plays with a tremendous amount of discipline, had a lot of responsible and accountable guys who could go out there and do their job and be dependable. And everybody’s always put the team first. The result of that has been we’ve been able to win a lot of games, guys have got a lot of individual accolades, got a lot of opportunities to play at the next level, and we’ve been able to win a few championships.” Let’s review. The 2018 Alabama football team went 12-0 in regular season play, won the Southeastern Conference championship game against Georgia, defeated Oklahoma with its Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback in the Orange Bowl/College Football Playoff semifinal game, finished second in the nation with a 14-1 record, had the Heisman runner-up in quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, the Biletnikoff winner (Jerry Jeudy), the Outland Trophy winner (Quinnen Williams), and 10 All-America players. Tua Tagovailoa should be leader on offense Now let’s review what happened after the season. Seven assistant coaches (including both offensive and defensive coordinators for the second consecutive year) had to be replaced, a baker’s dozen players were lost to either graduation or early entry for the NFL draft, the national narrative (again) changed to the end of the Alabama Dynasty, and Saban added the nation’s number one recruiting class, including 15 newcomers entering in the spring semester. “We’ve got a lot of new faces around here,” Saban said. “It was good for them to become part of the team.” There’s something about those players and coaches who were part of the 2018 team who are no longer part of Bama that seems to fit into that Alabama Factor, being responsible and being leaders. Conventional wisdom is that Saban just plugs in five-stars for departed five-stars, that he loses coaches and picks out a new bunch. There may be some truth to that, but when seven regulars with eligibility remaining -- plus quarterback Jalen Hurts who transferred out as a graduate to Oklahoma -- are not coming back, that will factor in adversely from experience and leadership standpoints. Saban discussed the way of the Alabama Factor. He said, “People have to have humility and understand that regardless of how much success you have, you still have to pay attention to detail and do things right in preparation and in practice so you don’t develop bad habits. “I also think that players have to stay focused on the process of what they need to do to be good players. Focusing on outcomes is like a distraction. Whether it’s individual outcomes or team outcomes, it’s really kind of a distraction for everybody. That’s been one of the things we’ve been trying to focus on. “Obviously from a physical development standpoint, we want to get as many guys ready through repetition, whether they’re young players, inexperienced players or returning starters, it makes no difference. Get them to play as well as they can play so that we can depend on them to play winning football in some way or some role in the fall. “Knowledge and experience is obviously important to that, but playing with good intangibles, having good work ethic, giving effort, playing with toughness, being responsible to do a job are all really important as well.”