Why Alabama Still Has "A Long Ways to Go" This Spring

A-Day has typically been the final spring practice for the Alabama Crimson Tide, but the 2026 A-Day spring scrimmage won't be the final practice for the Crimson Tide, as a Morgan Wallen concert in Tuscaloosa on April 18 forced the Crimson Tide to move up its annual A-Day scrimmage by a week to April 11.

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Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer told The Next Round on Wednesday that the Crimson Tide will have two more practices next week after A-Day, explaining what Alabama still has ahead of it.

"We still have four practices left, so just a little over two-thirds done, so to me there's still a lot of work that needs to be done between now and we finish next Thursday," he said. "I know a lot of times the spring game and the A-Day is the end. Just with the way the schedule worked and being in the stadium and things like that on the 11th, there's a lot of things we have accomplished.

"I think we've been consistent, and it's a trend going upwards. I really don't feel, especially in the last five or six practices - I think it's been elevated. I was going to say not a drop off, but it's been elevated as far as what you want to feel from an expectation when guys take the field, you know kind of what you're going to get. That's key. It's easier said than done. Of course that's the goal, but it still has to happen."

Over 40 new players are on Alabama's roster for 2026 between incoming transfers and new freshmen, meaning the Tide's transition period and installs will take longer at positions that have seen significant turnover, such as the offensive line, which has 11 new players and a new coach in that room.

"Our guys, with so many faces have come in - they were wide-eyed early on and really appreciative of what Alabama brings to them, whether it's resources or staff that's all in on them," DeBoer said. "It's been an awesome spring that way. We've got a long ways to go. We probably had more, for sure, knowns with guys returning a year ago than we do this year. I can point to position groups that are pretty veteran, that got a lot of veterans, especially the defensive backfield.

"But there's some good in that, too, because there's a lot of competition that exists. There's a piece on the football field that guys are fighting not just for our team but their own positions and spots to get out there and make some plays."

Alabama's second scrimmage last week wasn't the "sharpest day" from the Crimson Tide's quarterbacks, but DeBoer clarified what he meant in that statement last Friday in Wednesday's interview with The Next Round.

"It's two guys that have high ceilings, and they've done a really good job for the most part all spring long," DeBoer said. "I know I referred to, I think, in the scrimmage, it was not as sharp as they've been. Well, it's because they've been very, very sharp all spring long. A little bit of a drop-off wasn't a bad thing for them to go through because what's their response gonna be?

"That's been positive here this week, seeing them come back and get back to that level and then some of what they've been through all spring."

Alabama's A-Day spring scrimmage will be on Saturday, April 11, and start at 1:00 p.m. The scrimmage will last two hours.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.