What's new for the Alabama Crimson Tide season opener

Much has changed for the Alabama Crimson Tide beyond a new head coach and an almost new coaching staff. Alabama football fans at Bryant-Denny and watching on television will have to adjust to newness quickly.

There are several changes in the rules for the 2024 season. The most dramatic one is headset communication from coaches to one player on the field. For the Crimson Tide, the wearers of headset helmets will be Jalen Milroe and Deontae Lawson (and their backups when the starters are not in the game). The communication system shuts down when the play clock hits 15 seconds. In addition, tablets can now be used but only to review "game circumstances ... but not to utilize data from analytics.".

There will be a two-minute timeout (not a warning) near the end of the second and fourth quarters. Broadcasters will use a media timeout at the two-minute breaks. Other tweaks to the rules apply to replay and penalty reviews. Fans and probably the officials as well, will need some time to fully adjust to the changes. Another change is penalties for horse-collar tackles can now be applied to activity inside the tackle boxes.

Fans going to Bryant-Denny might want to plan earlier arrivals than in past seasons. The Walk of Champions will now happen two and a half hours prior to kickoff. Stadium gates will open two hours before kickoff. Inside, Bryant-Denny will be cash-less, for all transactions. Another reason to arrive early is that close to 1,000 parking spaces within walking distance of the stadium will be unavailable due to construction.

The ceremony designating the new Nick Saban Field will not take place until week two when the Alabama Crimson Tide takes on South Florida.

The SEC is also mandating injury reports this season, but the requirement only applies to conference games. The Crimson Tide is expected to be nearly injury free going into the opener. Jalen Hale is still recovering from offseason knee surgery and Jeremiah Alexander is expected to miss the Western Kentucky game.

Typical for an August late afternoon in west Alabama, the temperature is expected to be 90 degrees at kickoff and hotter than that on the field.