Alabama Football: Some inside news from a quiet offseason

For Alabama football fans time drags from A-Day until fall camp. Coaches enjoy quiet offseasons but fans want more – check out what we have uncovered.

During this time of year, Alabama football players are hard at work, mostly unseen by fans. Weight training and conditioning drills are essential to success in the fall. Seven-on-seven passing drills hone player timing and build communication and trust among players.

While players grind, fans search for bits and pieces of current information. In the offseason, the team is not in some kind of suspended animation. Players evolve and develop. Most improve, but some improve more than others.

After summer enrollment the full roster of players is assembled for the first time. Last season’s team leaders direct and guide new players. Some new leaders emerge, often earning first playing opportunities on special teams.

Summer is also the period that Strength and Conditioning coach, Scott Cochrane makes a major impact on the team. Pounds shed and muscles strengthened in the summer pay big dividends in the fall.

For a brief sense of the offseason, take a look at this video,

In the offseason, there is no direct pipeline from players and coaches to fans, but there is information that seeps out. Not all of it gets much notice. Frankly, not all of it is reliable. Deciding what to ignore and what to consider can be a challenge.

To the extent we have access, we have carefully sorted through this type of information. We are glad to pass it along with one disclaimer – it is what we hear, not what we know, but it is what we believe to be credible.