Alabama Football: What we’ve learned halfway through spring practice

Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Alabama Football is roughly halfway through its 2023 spring practice, with seven sessions down and seven more to go before the A-Day game on April 22nd.

Of course, it’s difficult to get a lot of accurate intel out of spring practice. Most of the information that is even made available to the public is filtered through Coach Saban, directly or indirectly.

Additionally, it’s important to keep in mind that this is the offseason. Optimism is always sky-high this time of year, but, in this case, I believe there is some substance to the reports of positive changes in the Alabama Football program.

Alabama Football: New Coordinators taking charge

All early returns on Alabama’s new coordinators have been encouraging. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees is wasting no time implementing a new approach, and he has the approval of the players.

On the other side of the ball, defensive coordinator Kevin Steele is holding the defense to a new standard, and has received praise from current and former players alike.

As a duo, these coordinators look to change the attitude and accountability that Alabama Football plays with. Both Rees and Steele approach the game with a chip on their shoulder. If their fiesta and competitive nature becomes contagious, the entire program will be the beneficiary.

Alabama Football: Quarterbacks still splitting reps

Bama fans will likely obsess over this quarterback battle until the fall. As expected, there are no answers yet, as Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson appear to be splitting the starting reps in spring ball.

Milroe, a redshirt sophomore, is a phenomenal athlete who is looking to show improvement as a passer and as the conductor of a championship-caliber offense. Much of the fan base did not like what it saw from Milroe last season, but the sample size was far too small to pass judgment on the young quarterback.

Simpson is a redshirt freshman, and is widely believed to be the more polished passer and natural quarterback between the two. He has emerged as a fan favorite in this race, partially because we have hardly seen him. As fans, it’s always easy for us to idealize the guy that hasn’t been thrown into the fire yet.

We may have to wait a while to find out about the starting quarterback, because this competition seems to be neck-and-neck.

Alabama Football: Too early for depth charts

It is far too early to make assertions regarding potential starters and depth charts, but that hasn’t stopped Alabama Football fans from speculating.

One player in particular has caught fans’ attention in spring practice clips, and that is safety Caleb Downs. The true freshman appears to be getting reps with the first-team defense for now.

Next. 2024 recruiting class update. dark

Downs was a 5-star recruit and one of the few truly elite players in the 2023 class. There are very high expectations being placed on Caleb Downs, and it appears he is on track to live up to the hype.