Alabama Football: Spring awards are no minor achievements

With all the annual hoopla about championships and the frequent headline buzz of the NIL era, Alabama Football spring awards don’t get much notice. They pretty much reside somewhere between an aside and an afterthought in the minds of many fans.

Historically in the Alabama Football program, the awards have been a big deal. One thing making them special is some of the awards acknowledge the hardest working, most determined strivers, rather than just the best players.

All of the spring awards but two are selected by the Crimson Tide coaching staff before the A-Day Game. The two A-Day Game awards are the Dixie Howell Award for the game’s most outstanding player and the Dwight Stephenson Award for the game’s best performing lineman.

Jahmyr Gibbs won the Dixie Howell Award on Saturday. Gibbs may later win a bigger award. But the honor of being an award winner, named in tribute to a College Football Hall of Fame player is a big deal. So too is the lineman award that honors Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Dwight Stephenson. Jamil Burroughs was Saturday’s winner of the Dwight Stephenson Award.

Jahmyr Gibbs and Jamil Burroughs joined Alabama Crimson Tide history on Saturday.

Other Alabama Football  Spring Award Winners

• Lee Roy Jordan Headhunter Award: Brian Branch, Seth McLaughlin
• Jerry Duncan “I Like to Practice” Award: DeVonta Smith, Robbie Ouzts, Amari Kight, Jah-Marien Latham, Christian Leary, Kendrick Law
• Billy Neighbors Defensive Lineman Award: Tim Smith, Jamil Burroughs
• Paul Crane Offensive Lineman Award: JC Latham, Kendall Randolph
• Bobby Johns Defensive Back Award: Kool-Aid McKinstry, DeMarcco Hellams
• Johnny Musso Offensive Back Award: Jahmyr Gibbs, Trey Sanders
• Ray Perkins Receiver Award: Jermaine Burton, Traeshon Holden
• Woodrow Lowe Linebacker Award: Jaylen Moody, Dallas Turner
• Derrick Thomas Community Service Award: Jordan Battle, Tim Keenan III
• Bear Bryant Outstanding Non-Scholarship Award: Kneeland Hibbett, Bret Bolin, Brylan Lanier, Jonathan Bennett, Charlie Skeehan, Sam Willoughby, Jordan Smith
• Ozzie Newsome Most Improved Freshman Award: Tyler Booker, Terrence Ferguson II, Jalen Milroe, Deontae Lawson, Damon Payne Jr., JoJo Earle, Terrion Arnold, James Burnip
• Bart Starr Most Improved Player Award: Javion Cohen, Damieon George Jr., Cameron Latu, Khyree Jackson, Justin Eboigbe, Eli Ricks, Chris Braswell, Jahquez Robinson
• Mal Moore Leadership Award: Henry To’oTo’o, Bryce Young, Will Anderson Jr.
• Sylvester Croom Commitment to Excellence Award: Jordan Battle, DJ Dale, Malachi Moore, Will Reichard

Award information from rolltide.com

The Alabama football staff knows best, but Christian Leary would have been a worthy winner of the Dixie Howell Award.