Position battles in March and early April at the University of Alabama are a lot like the back nine of a high-stakes golf tournament — every rep matters, every mistake is magnified, and the pressure begins to reveal which players are ready to separate themselves from the pack. And with much of the national attention focusing on Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb's ruling on the highly anticipated quarterback battle between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell, Alabama's spring practice features a series of head-to-head matchups across the roster that tend to go overlooked.
As the Crimson Tide concludes week three of this phase, preparing to host their second official spring scrimmage on Friday, these showdowns will likely tilt the scales in several key positions. From the trenches to the skill spots, players are competing not just for reps, but for momentum — a single standout play could shift the depth chart and signal who might step into a bigger role this fall. One of the biggest storylines entering scrimmage No. 2 is which players can turn a strong week of practice into real separation when the lights come on, and the competition becomes more game-like with A-Day quickly on the horizon.
Spring position battles that'll tilt the scales down the stretch of practice
Offensive Line (Left Guard) — Nick Brooks vs. Ethan Fields:
With three-fifths of Alabama's offensive line seemingly set — Cal Poly transfer Racin Delgaty at center, Jackson Lloyd at left tackle, and returning starter Michael Carroll at right guard or right tackle — the battle at left guard remains one of the most important pieces for DeBoer, Grubb, and newly hired position coach Adrian Klemm to solve ahead of the 2026 season. Brooks and Fields both enter this audition with different strengths that could tip the scales at this position.
Brooks:
At 6-foot-7 and 339 pounds, Brooks enters this battle with enormous size and a wealth of upside in his corner. The former four-star recruit and sophomore lineman played in five games during 2025 in his lone season at Texas. Since joining Alabama this spring, Brooks has been competing day in and day out with the starting unit at left guard. He brings the kind of power, showing the ability to handle both zone and power schemes, that can dominate defenders in the run game, which is something the Tide needs desperately.
And with redshirt sophomore Will Sanders missing the entirety of this spring, Brooks has also shown strong run-blocking efficiency and reliable pass protection in practice through these snaps, making him a candidate to step into a starting role quickly. If Brooks can continue to assert his physicality while executing his assignments with a strong performance in scrimmage 2, he could maintain the early edge over Fields and seize the left guard spot heading into A-Day.
Fields:
On the other hand, Fields is looking to make up ground in Alabama's left guard competition. The 6-foot-3, 319-pound redshirt junior comes into this scrimmage with some momentum after transferring from Ole Miss to Alabama in January, where he logged 86 snaps across 19 games in three seasons of action for the Rebels. While he didn't start a game in Oxford, DeBoer recently applauded Fields for the progress he's made in Tuscaloosa this spring.
"Fields has done a nice job coming along," DeBoer said after Alabama's first scrimmage. "I thought this week has been really a consistent step in the right direction for him."
This small word of encouragement from DeBoer is significant for Fields. He brings valuable SEC experience to the table, along with a developing physical skill set that could help him further contend for the starting role over Brooks — provided he can translate that experience into consistent and dominant play in the trenches during his snaps in Friday's scrimmage.
Inside Linebacker No.2 — QB Reese vs. Cayden Jones, Abduall Sanders, Luke Metz, Duke Johnson & Xavier Griffin:
The battle at linebacker, besides projected senior starter Caleb Woodson, remains wide open, and scrimmage No.2 could provide valuable clues about who's emerging. With Reese, Jones, Sanders, Metz, Johnson, and Griffin all talented but vastly inexperienced compared to Woodson, DeBoer still found himself impressed by the group's competitiveness as a whole in the following scrimmage on one last Friday.
"They're competitive," DeBoer said. "I think first you got guys like QB coming back, Abduall, Luke, all those guys know the system, right? And Duke as well knows the system, so they have a little bit of a head start. And it's fun seeing the growth that a guy has from even the end of the season, getting the install in the winter, putting some more mass on, becoming more confident, and those guys are certainly doing that.
Reese has the most in-game playing experience over Jones, Sanders, Metz, Johnson, and Griffin inside of third-year defensive coordinator Kane Wommack's system. Reese flashed downhill physicality in small bursts across 15 games for six total tackles, 1 forced fumble, and a 21-yard fumble return in 2025. Jones continues to make noise this spring with his instincts and range, after appearing in 11 games across his first two seasons at Alabama, recording 14 total tackles, 1 pass break, and 1 fumble recovery.
Metz posted 7 tackles as a primary special teams contributor across four games during his true freshman season in 2025. Johnson offers versatility, but he appeared in only two games last fall and recorded three total tackles, mostly playing on special teams. Sanders had a lone tackle last fall against South Carolina as a true freshman. Then there's Griffin, the highly touted true freshman five-star recruit in Alabama's 2026 signing class. As an early enrollee and the nation's No.1 linebacker prospect, he provides the kind of athletic upside that makes him hard to ignore. This is why this competition may not be settled anytime soon, but Friday presents a major opportunity for one or multiple backers to separate themselves from the pack.
Running Back No.2 — Kevin Riley vs AK Dear:
Behind the expected Alabama lead back, Daniel Hill, the battle for RB2 is heating up between Riley and Dear. Both young backs flashed what they could do when given the opportunities in 2025 as true freshmen. Riley showed bust, decisiveness, and the ability to create explosive plays when he gets into space, scoring two touchdowns for 222 rushing yards on 56 carries, to go along with 19 receptions for 176 yards and an additional score across 10 games.
Meanwhile, Dear brings more speed and a physical style that could make him valuable. This appeared to be the case in Dear's 19 touches across five games last fall as he rushed for 140 yards and three touchdowns, while averaging an impressive 7.4 yards per attempt. With each talented tailback improving this spring, the competition had DeBoer speaking highly of both ahead of Alabama's second scrimmage.
"I thought AK had a couple of nice runs in there," DeBoer said. "All of them gotta continue to grow and get better... Kevin, I think, is building on what he showed all of us last season as well."
These remarks should also roll off the backs of Alabama fans well, especially when you consider the depth both Dear and Riley could both provide in the Crimson Tide backfield, along with Dear and five-star true freshman EJ Crowell as he continues to find his footing. A productive scrimmage could help either carve out a larger a much larger role heading into the summer.
All in all, the competitions at all three positions listed won't be fully decided in Friday's second scrimmage, but each player's individual performances will go a long way in how the rotation of snaps is distributed on April 11th's A-Day scrimmage in Saban-Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium in front of Crimson Tide fans and spectators. It'll also be interesting to see what comes from this, as this day will serve as more intel as to how DeBoer, Grubb, and Wommack look to further shape the Tide roster for Alabama's 2026 season heading this summer.