Since 1946, the Alabama Crimson Tide have been meeting during the spring for their annual A-Day game. It hasn’t always been called the “A-Day Game”; it was once called the “Spring Training Football Game”. A-Day is Alabama fans' first chance to get a look at their new team: Who has left, who has been added, and what changes need to be made before fall. Fans have flocked to Tuscaloosa for years on end. Last year alone, seventy-two thousand fans rolled into Bryant-Denny for A-Day.
College football programs are starting to veer away from traditional spring football games for a variety of reasons. NIL and the transfer portal continue to change the landscape of college football. Some coaches feel that if they were to have a live televised game, coaches will notice their highly athletic players and offer them NIL deals that some schools may not be able to compete with. Other coaches have made the choice to opt out of spring practice due to the risk of injury. The University of Alabama will not televise this year’s spring game for the first time since 2006.
Most years, it’s like watching a normal traditional college football game. Teams are broken up into two squads and play a four-quarter game. Last year, Coach DeBoer shook things up a little bit by incorporating a scoring system instead of a game-like situation. Not wanting to risk injury this spring, Coach DeBoer has already said this year would have a different look.
Expect more of a practice type A-Day this year. Coach DeBoer has said, “we will have more of a practice, like we would have any day”.
You will see position groups doing position specific drills and a very quick whistle with team periods that can be highly controlled by the coaching staff. More than likely, you will see 7-on-7 passing drills between offensive and defensive skilled positions. Although A-Day may not look the same, those players will still be fired up and ready to show off the work they have put in this spring.
On April 12th, The A-Day Game will still be free to the public. Also, there will be selected public parking areas that will be free. Per the Alabama Athletics website, the 1st 5,000 Alabama fans in the gate will receive a limited-edition commemorative poster. The gates to Bryant-Denny will open at 11 AM with the Walk of Champions beginning at 11:35 AM (CST).
Coach DeBoer’s 2nd Spring Game / Practice will begin at 12 PM (CST). Certain gates will open at 11 AM Saturday April, 12th. While on campus, be sure to check out Alabama Softball and Baseball team who both square off in a weekend series against the University of Georgia in Tuscaloosa.