re: 2018-19 Roster/Depth Chart breakdowns and updates

quote:

---

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa injured his thumb on the first day of Alabama’s spring football practice, Nick Saban announced in a press conference.

“Tua hurt his thumb today in practice,” Saban said Tuesday. “We’re 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. Mostly telling me when these type of things happen, it takes a little while for them to come back.”

Tagovailoa completed 63.6 percent of his passes (49-of-77) with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions in nine games of action, totaling 636 yards through the air. The dual-threat signal caller added 27 carries for 133 rushing yards and two touchdowns and finished first among quarterbacks in the SEC in passing efficiency (204.0) in limited action.

The Hawaii product entered the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in the second half and earned Offensive MVP honors for his efforts in the 26-23 overtime win over the Georgia Bulldogs. He found DeVonta Smith for a 41-yard touchdown strike on the final play of the game to help Alabama secure its NCAA-record 17th national titles.

In Tuesday’s inaugural spring practice, Tagovailoa was behind junior Jalen Hurts in footwork drills and threw beside him to wide receivers. According to Saban, the starting job will remain in the air, even with Tagovailoa indefinitely sidelined by a thumb injury.

“I think in a few days, Tua will probably be able to do some things,” Saban said when asked about the quarterbacks. “But when you hurt your thumb on your throwing hand, it’s kind of hard to grip the ball, so I think that’s going to be the issue is whether he’s able to throw it.

“He and Jalen were splitting reps, and we’re giving both guys an opportunity to see how they compete, to see how they do. So, we don’t have decisions, we’re not speculating on any decisions. But we’re just going to be fair and honest in terms of how we give both players a chance to compete.”

Alabama will return to the practice field Thursday, March 22, for Day 2 of spring ball.

---

quote:

---

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama started its 2018 spring season with a lengthy injury report. Following the Crimson Tide’s first of 15 spring practices Tuesday, head coach Nick Saban gave updates on five different players that could potentially miss the entirety of spring football.

Linebacker Anfernee Jennings, running back Josh Jacobs, offensive linemen Matt Womack and Kendall Randolph and defensive back Keaton Anderson were all absent from the practice field, and the 12th-year head coach explained why during a press conference.

“Anfernee Jennings, we’ll probably hold out for the spring,” Saban said Tuesday. “His rehab is going extremely well, but we’re taking it easy with this injury. This is not something that I think you want to really mess around with too much. He’ll probably be full-strength by the beginning of the summer.

“Josh Jacobs had ankle surgery, something that he played through with the season. He may be able to come back at some point in the spring and do some drills. To what degree, I don’t know. It depends on how he progresses.

“Matt Womack had a foot, same thing that three other guys had last year. Sort of a Jones fracture type thing. It got repaired. It was bothering him all during the offseason. He actually injured it further walking up and down the steps over spring break, so he’s going to be out.

“Keaton Anderson had a shoulder. He’ll be out for the spring. Kendall Randolph got an Achilles in an offseason program, so he’ll be out for the spring.”

Jennings sustained a knee injury in Alabama’s playoff win over Clemson on New Year’s Day. He was in a wheelchair for the national title game and on crutches at the championship parade.

Saban confirmed BamaOnLine’s first report of Womack’s broken bone in his foot. The redshirt junior right tackle is expected to miss approximately six weeks -- the entire spring season.

After practice, Saban also shared news of sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa injured the thumb on his throwing hand on the first day of spring. The second-year signal caller split reps with junior quarterback Jalen Hurts prior to being sent to Birmingham.

The good news for all the injured players is they are all expected to make a full recovery, Saban said. “Some will be back by the end of the spring, but everybody will be back by the fall.”

---

quote:

---

Tua and Jalen. Jalen and Tua. The whole Alabama quarterback situation is a two-man race for good reason. Both Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa proved capable of leading the Crimson Tide offense at certain points last season.

The third, less-talked-about scholarship quarterback, suddenly has a more prominent role in Alabama's spring practice. With Tagovailoa out at least for the time being with a hand injury, redshirt freshman Mac Jones will get a few extra snaps moving forward.

The Jacksonville, Fla., product hasn't performed in public since last season's A-Day game as an early enrollee. Since then, he's become a popular figure in the Alabama locker room known for his sense of humor. Behind the walls protecting the Tide football facility, Jones is also showing progress as a passer entering his second season in Tuscaloosa.

"I think he gets lost in the Jalen and Tua hype, guys that have played this year " Alabama running back Damien Harris told AL.com before the Sugar Bowl. "But I don't know if people understand he's going to be a big-time playmaker someday. He has a strong arm. He has a great mind for the game and I think he'll really be successful one day once he gets his opportunity."

The 6-foot-2 quarterback came to Alabama as a three-star recruit from the Bolles School. Originally committed to Kentucky, Jones flipped to Alabama in the summer before his high school senior season.

Playing with the second-team offense in the 2017 spring game, Jones was 5-for-11 for 45 yards and two interceptions. Fellow rookie Kyriq McDonald picked off the second pass Jones threw, returning it nine yards inside the 20-yard line.

Hurts and Tagovailoa both put up big numbers in the public scrimmage typically known for the defense. The hype built around Tagovailoa's potential to push for playing time while Jones became the clear third option.

"Yeah, it's tough sometimes hearing a lot about them," Jones said in an interview with AL.com at the Sugar Bowl, "but like I said, we have a good room and those guys work hard and I work hard. So, we're all in it together."

Little more was said about Jones after the spring game. Saban said Jones had a few opportunities in an Aug. 19 scrimmage "and didn't do a bad job." He flew under the radar until his DUI arrest in November led to a one-game suspension. The whole experience "was probably one of the best things that's happened to me," Jones said because of the connections he made doing community service with a local soup kitchen.

Harris, who jokingly claims to be Jones' father on social media, said the young quarterback has a selfless mentality. That was clear in the December interview -- unpublished until now -- conducted before the playoff semifinal in New Orleans. "I don't care who plays," Jones said. "I love being here and getting better and helping out the team in whatever role I can."

With an already thin depth chart, Alabama was in position to add another veteran quarterback over the summer. East Carolina graduate transfer Gardner Minshew was committed to the Tide until Tuesday when he flipped to a Washington State program that offered more opportunity for immediate playing time.

Having three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster is the bare minimum for Saban to feel comfort in the situation. After not signing a passer for the first time in his Alabama tenure, Saban said they were pursuing a veteran transfer option.

A transfer or an injury away from being down to two quarterbacks is not where any program wants to be. Still, Harris isn't worried about Jones' ability to step in if needed. The quarterback nobody is talking about has a few qualities the top returning running back likes.

"His mind for the game," Harris said. "He understands defenses really well. He sees things on the field before they happen. I think he has a strong arm. Like I said, people don't think about him or talk about him much as a player but I think one day he's going to surprise a lot of people. And I think he'll have a great career once it finally takes off."

---

quote:

---

It’s been one week since Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa injured his throwing hand during the Crimson Tide’s first of 15 spring practice sessions.

After initially diagnosing Tagovailoa with a thumb injury, coach Nick Saban provided the latest on the sophomore southpaw when he spoke to reporters after Tuesday’s practice.

“Tua has made a very nice recovery from his hand,” Saban said in a press conference. “He did a break. Dr. (Lyle) Cain and our medical staff do a fantastic job here, I tell you what. We probably have the best medical staff and the best medical group of people.

“... Tua was actually able to do stuff in practice today, actually able to hand the ball off, could grip the ball, could throw the ball a little bit. So, just amazing the technology that we have now and the expertise that our people have in terms of doing a great job with our players. We’re really excited that Tua’s making a good recovery. He’s got a really good, positive attitude and we feel good about where he’s heading.”

Tagovailoa’s left hand has been wrapped in the past three practices, but he no longer wore a protective glove during Tuesday’s practice. For the first time since suffering the injury, the Tide southpaw was actually able to throw again with the other quarterbacks. This came after he was only able to toss it 10 yards to the trainers that surrounded him.

Tagovailoa completed 63.6 percent of his passes (49-of-77) with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions in nine games of action, totaling 636 yards through the air. The dual-threat signal caller added 27 carries for 133 rushing yards and two touchdowns and finished first among quarterbacks in the SEC in passing efficiency (204.0) in limited action.

The Hawaii product entered the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in the second half and earned Offensive MVP honors for his efforts in the 26-23 overtime win over the Georgia Bulldogs. He found DeVonta Smith for a 41-yard touchdown strike on the final play of the game to help Alabama secure its NCAA-record 17th national titles.

Like Saban said, Tagovailoa was able to throw the ball Tuesday, but will there be any limitations for him on the practice field when the Tide offense faces its defense in coming sessions?

“Obviously we don’t want to hit any of the quarterbacks,” Saban said. “We want to keep the defensive players away from the quarterbacks. We don’t want to injure the quarterbacks. We want to get them as many reps as we can. And I don’t think you single one guy out and say, ‘You can do this to one guy and you can’t do it to the other,’ so we try to treat them all the same.

“I mean obviously he’s got a bad hand, and we don’t want anybody to hit his hand. But hopefully in a very short period of time he’ll be able to get back in there. … The swelling’s down, he’s getting his strength back, he’s getting his grip back, so I don’t think we have to make any special provisions for him in terms of how he practices and what he does relative to his pain tolerance.”

Alabama will return to the practice field Thursday, March 29, at 3:30 p.m. CT.

---

quote:

---

Andrew Bone @AndrewJBone

JuCo DL Tevita Musika signs with #Alabama. He is a member of the 2018 class. He visited Alabama this past weekend. He measured 6-foot-2, 340-pounds. Crimson Tide adds some beef on the thin defensive front.

12:09 pm · Mar 28, 2018

---

quote:

---

Welcome to SEC Country’s daily Roll Tide-ings, a rundown of everything happening in Alabama Crimson Tide recruiting with Chris Kirschner. Today, we talk the latest with Alabama’s Wednesday junior college defensive line signee.

Tevita Musika gives Alabama quality depth addition

Tevita Musika grew up in the same household as Tevita “Vita” Vea, a former Washington standout and likely top 15 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Because both shared the same name (Tevita is the Tongan version of David), there had to be a way to distinguish the two if called upon.

There was an easy choice. Because of their completely different body shapes, Vea is 6-foot-5 and nearly 350 pounds, while Musika is 6-2 and over 350 pounds, the family decided to give them nicknames that suited their body frames.

“Their nicknames are ‘Tall Vita’ and ‘Wide Vita,’ ” College of San Mateo coach Tim Tulloch told SEC Country. “Vita Vea is ‘Tall Vita’ and Tevita Musika is ‘Wide Vita.’ ”

---

quote:

---

Tulloch credits Alabama defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi, who led the charge on Musika’s recruitment, for landing a steal.

“Tosh always stays in touch with us,” Tulloch said. “He’s an unbelievably thorough recruiter. Recruiting is one of those things that never stops. The good ones are always making sure they know everybody. He knows about all of our top prospects here. When they decided they had a need and wanted to move on a JUCO nose guard, he knew where to go because he knew about Tevita. That’s why Tosh is where he is today because of how great of a recruiter he is.”

Tulloch, who has been at College of San Mateo since 1997, had known Lupoi since the Alabama defensive coordinator was Cal’s defensive line coach in 2008. Tulloch said Lupoi is one of the best recruiters in the country and has a reputation on the West Coast as being the best recruiter in that area.

“Joining that Alabama staff really put everyone in the nation on alert,” Tulloch said of Lupoi. “What’s missed a lot of the times with Tosh, in my opinion, we talk a lot about his recruiting efforts, but he’s also a really good football coach. He’s as detailed at the technical aspects of the game as far as linebackers and defensive line play as anyone. That defense is just going to get better. They are going to pick up where they left off. They are not going backward. They are going forward.

“With Tosh’s creativity and innovation, what he’s going to be able to do with the front seven guys, you are going to see stuff that’s different and stuff that we may not have seen before in college football. Don’t be surprised if that defense is a notch or two better than what it was last year, which is scary to think about.”

---

quote:

---

Alabama associate athletics director for sports medicine Jeff Allen has been named the National Athletic Trainers’ Association’s Head Athletic Trainer of the Year, it was announced Thursday.


Alabama Football @AlabamaFTBL
Congrats @makennahsdad on being named @NATA1950 Head Athletic Trainer of the Year #ReBuiltByBama #RollTide - 4:36 pm - Mar 29, 2018

Every year the Intercollegiate Council for Sports Medicine recognizes one individual for exceptional performance as a head athletic trainer in each of the following collegiate divisions: NCAA Division-I, NCAA D II, NCAA D III, NAIA, Junior College/Community College and Club/Intramural/Recreational Sports, per the NATA’s website... (read more)

---

quote:

---

A year ago, Isaiah Buggs was just getting used to Alabama football after his career at Mississippi Gulf Coach Community College. The Ruston, La., product wasn’t just any junior college transfer, though. Buggs, 6-3, 287, was considered to be the No. 1 defensive player in the JUCO ranks, second ranked among all junior college prospects.

He didn’t disappoint. Buggs was a starter on Alabama’s defensive line from the first game and finished with 51 tackles (20 primary) with 4 tackles for loss, including 2 sacks. He was second for the Tide with 7 QB pressures.

Buggs understands the role. “It starts up front,” he said. “In any game situation, no matter who we play, it starts up front. The front seven, we have to be physical, the most physical on the field.”

There is some loss of physicality in that defensive front going into the 2018 season, notably in the middle of the defensive line where nose tackle DaRon Payne has moved on to an NFL career.

Buggs also understands the Nick Saban process for rebuilding that position between where he and Raekwon Davis (6-7, 308) return at the end spots. Those in contention for nose tackle, notably Johnny Dwight (6-3, 301, fifth-year senior) and Phidarian Mathis (6-4, 308, redshirt freshman).

“They’ve handled it well,” Buggs said. “Coach Saban is going to get the best players and the best players are going to play every Saturday. There’s a big difference and they are stepping up and doing what they are supposed to do.

"They are learning the plays and they’ve been more concerned in continuing to do what they are supposed to do. Everybody is switching around and changing up and learning new positions. Everybody looks great doing it.”

There’s also an intriguing addition on the way. Recently Alabama added junior college transfer Tevita Musika (6-1, 340 from College of San Mateo, Calif). “I haven’t heard anything about him, but I’m looking forward to getting to know him,” Buggs said. “I’m excited about (adding depth). “We don’t bring junior college guys in here to sit down. I was a junior college guy. I came in early and had to buy into the system, learn the plays, and get ready to play.”

Alabama’s assistant coach overhaul since the Crimson Tide’s national championship game victory has a new defensive coordinator in Tosh Lupoi and a new defensive line coach in Craig Kuligowski. That, said Buggs, has not been a problem.

“It’s no different because everybody has a standard, no matter if you are a player or a coach. Coach Saban sets the standard.” He said there are new drills, but “There’s not a learning curve. Every coach has his own drills, and apparently we need to do a better job of getting to the quarterback, so that’s what we’re working on. We have to be more disruptive. We want to create more turnovers.”

Personally, Buggs wants to be “coachable" and "the best player I can be, and leave it all on the field in my last year. I want Coach Saban to see me and say, ‘Wow, that’s the kind of energy we need every day.’ We are setting our identity right here. We have to come with it every day. You can’t count the days; you just have to grind it out.”

There was post-season speculation that Buggs might leave for a chance at the NFL following his lone season at Alabama, but Buggs “wasn’t really focused on it. I’m just trying to get through school and graduate.”

---