Alabama football had a tune-up Friday afternoon in preparation for the second and last scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday.
Nick Saban and Mother Nature lightened up on the Alabama football team Friday afternoon. The team did not work in full pads and the outdoor session had temperatures lessened by cloudy skies.
The big news for the day came out before practice. Offensive tackle, Matt Womack reinjured his foot Thursday and needed another surgery. Matt’s father announced on Twitter that two of the six screws in Matt’s foot had broken during the Thursday practice. Surgery was done on Friday and according to al.com, Matt could return to action in several weeks.
Practice experiments continue
Whatever experimenting Nick Saban has been doing at right tackle suddenly does not have the option of last season’s starter. Media reports on Friday said the Wills at tackle and Leatherwood at guard routine continued. At least for Friday, the player appearing to fill-in at right tackle for the second group was true freshman, Tommy Brown. With Womack out, for now, Leatherwood and Wills must be prepared to play tackle if needed.
In secondary drills Friday, Shyheim Carter worked with the safeties in the dime formation and worked at star in the nickel group. The more this distribution of drills happens with Carter, the more likely Patrick Surtain Jr. can win a starting role at star in the dime formation. Surtain beating out Carter in the nickel set would be a major surprise.
As expected, Stephon Wynn and Najee Harris were not seen on the practice field. There are continued reports Najee could be back for the Louisville game.
Be prepared for an ‘or’ in the first official depth chart
There was again no new news on the starting quarterback competition. When Nick Saban will pull the trigger on a decision is not known. Best guess is the first official depth chart of the season will include the word ‘or’ in it.
Alabama football fans are justifiably excited about the addition of Ale Kaho. He was a 5-Star recruit and fills a position of need, inside linebacker. If or when he can contribute this season is unclear. In early drills, it is easy to see his speed and quickness. However, based on official UA numbers, he currently only weighs 218 pounds. That is awfully light for an inside linebacker in the SEC.
The Saturday scrimmage is closed to everyone but special guests. Information will become available and we will share what we run across.