Alabama Football: Offensive players to watch closely in A-Day game

In A-Day games, Alabama football offenses don’t show much of the playbook. The play calling is sometimes referred to as vanilla, as in nothing special, with no flavor boosts. Saturday will be more of the same for the Crimson Tide.

That does not mean fans cannot learn some things while watching the spring game. No fall starting jobs will be won or lost on Saturday, but there will be strong clues about how position battles will unfold in fall camp.

In terms of offense, of most interest to Crimson Tide fans is the guys in the trenches. More specifically, attention will focus on which guys perform the best at left tackle. Based on Nick Saban’s comments throughout the spring, Kendall Randolph will be the first unit left tackle in the A-Day game.

Alabama football insiders have said Amari Kight has shared spring, left tackle, first-team work. It will be interesting to see how the pair of Crimson Tide veterans perform and whether Kight, along with Randolph works with the first unit.

Wide receiver is another position group with starting roles to fill. Jermaine Burton has quickly established himself as WR1. Ja’Corey Brooks, who might be WR2, is out for the spring. There has been considerable spring buzz about freshmen, Kendrick Law and Aaron Anderson. Getting somewhat quieter notice are the reports that JoJo Earle has had a great spring. What needs to be seen from all three on Saturday is crisp route-running, good blocking, and no dropped passes.

There is no spring competition for Bryce Young’s backup. Jalen Milroe is solidly settled at QB2. On Saturday, Crimson Tide fans will be anxious to see how well Milroe can do against the first-unit defense. Spring reports have claimed Milroe has made considerable progress in reading defenses and decision-making. His passing skill has never been legitimately suspect, and Saturday is an opportunity to showcase his arm strength and accuracy. Given his outstanding speed, Tide fans would love to see Milroe bust some long runs.

Alabama Football Running Backs

A thin running back room this spring means Georgia Tech transfer Jahmyr Gibbs, Trey Sanders and freshman, Jamarion Miller will see plenty of A-Day game action. Gibbs has been getting wow reviews all spring. Almost as exciting for Crimson Tide fans is that Trey Sanders appears to be back to his old self, physically and mentally. The one-two punch of Gibbs and Sanders this fall can be explosive. When Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams recover from their injuries, the Crimson Tide will have the most potent running back group in college football.

Also interesting among the running backs on Saturday will be seeing how well freshman Jamarion Miller plays. Miller has received solid reviews for his spring work. With the short bench for A-Day, Miller gets a great chance to show his potential.

The A-Day game is scheduled for 2:00 PM Saturday and will be streamed this year rather than the standard ESPN telecast.