Alabama wrapped up its first day of spring practice on Tuesday afternoon which meant head coach Nick Saban got to return to the podium to face the media.

A combination of injuries, coaching changes, depth issues, and the quarterback competition might have limited Saban's patience a bit when taking questions, but he hit on a wide range of topics during the first press conference of camp.

"We had a good first practice," Saban said. "We've got a long way to go, especially in some positions where we're a little thin. Where we lost a lot of players and I think you know where those players are, where those positions are. We're going to keep working to develop that depth."

The biggest news of the day wasn't performance based but rather a key injury.

"Tua, you know, hurt his thumb today in practice. Taking him to Birmingham to get that evaluated but it's probably going to require some time for him to get back. I don't want to speculate on what the injury might be, but most of the time when these type things happen, it takes a little while for him to come back."

Here are the other injured players expected to miss spring.

  • LB Anfernee Jennings is likely out for the spring but rehab is going well.
  • RB Josh Jacobs had ankle surgery. He might be able to come back at some point in the spring and be able to drills.
  • OL Matt Womack out with a foot injury. It was a lingering injury that got worse over spring break.
  • LB Keaton Anderson is out for the spring with a shoulder injury.
  • DL Kendall Randolph injured his Achilles during the offseason program.

Saban hit on a number of topics during the 16-minute press conference:

  • Still searching on leadership in the locker room which will take some time to develop.
  • How Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa are embracing the quarterback battle.
  • Why we saw DeVonta Smith working with the defensive backs in practice.
  • How the new coaching staff is coming together and what he's seen from them so far.
  • Which young players could benefit most from the added reps along the offensive line this spring.
  • His thoughts on transfers and what message he gives players that consider changing schools.
  • Butch Jones' role on the staff.

You can watch the full press conference at the top of the page. Make sure you're following all of our spring practice coverage on-air and online by downloading the Tide 102.9 app. 

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