Alabama FB -- 2018 FALL CAMP Thread -- Garbage Dump Edition

Alabama practice report: Observations from first workout of 2018 season (al.com)


Watch: QBs compete on Day 1 of fall camp

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They're back. Year 12 of the Nick Saban era at Alabama took another step toward the Sept. 1 opener.

The first day of practice was Friday afternoon in a humid Tuscaloosa but there was at least some relief from an overcast sky. We'll get right into what we saw in the two-period media viewing period.

-- No quarterback emerged in the 14 minutes we saw.

-- Reading too much into anything would be a mistake but both Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa threw crisp passes in drills without defensive pressure.

-- Outside linebacker Anfernee Jennings looked fresh leading the line of drills with his group. Coming off a major knee injury in the Sugar Bowl, he looked eager and aggressive in the drills led by first-year defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi.

-- This was the first official practice for quite a few freshmen -- more than normal since so few enrolled early for the spring.

-- OLB Eyabi Anoma was one of the top-five ranked recruits coming out of Baltimore. You could see he has good speed but has room to add weight on his 6-foot-5, 245-pound frame.

-- Injured outside linebacker Terrell Lewis was watching the practice from inside the weight room. He had a healthy-sized brace on his knee after tearing his ACL over the summer.

-- If there were any questions, DeVonta Smith was with the receivers after spending some time in the spring with the DBs. The addition of several freshmen in the secondary was notable with considerable attention on top cornerback recruit Patrick Surtain II.

-- There were a few NFL teams watching the action including the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens.

-- The water cannon was back with Jeff Allen hosing down the players from a big tank. Defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski was among those who took the bold move of wearing a full sweatshirt on an August afternoon in Alabama.

-- The documentary crew filming for ESPN was out there shooting footage.

-- New radio partners John Parker Wilson and Eli Gold were watching from the sidelines.

-- Nick Saban will be up to meet the press after practice.

-- Reminder: Fan day is Saturday in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

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Pair of Alabama defenders don black jerseys on Day 1 of camp (BOL)

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All but one player practiced on the first day of Alabama’s fall camp.

Two defensive players sported black, no-contact jerseys when the Crimson Tide hit the practice field Friday, but head coach Nick Saban said both Eyabi Anoma and Nigel Knott were able to go through on-field drills with their teammates on the Thomas-Drew Practice Fields.

As for players that were held out in the spring, like Anfernee Jennings, Matt Womack, Josh Jacobs, etc., they were full-go.

“We had two guys in black jerseys,” Saban said after Friday’s first practice. “Eyabi was in a black jersey because he hurt his jaw, but he’ll be full-go probably by the time we put on pads. He did everything. He just had a black jersey on. And Nigel Knott had a black jersey on. So, Terrell Lewis was the only guy that was really out of practice today.”

Anoma was the top-ranked player in UA’s 2018 signing class and the nation’s No. 4 overall prospect, per the 247Sports Composite. Listed at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, he will wear No. 9 this year.

The true freshman worked with the outside linebackers on the first day of camp. During the media viewing periods, he was behind Jennings, Christian Miller, Jamey Mosley, Christopher Allen, Jarez Parks and Cameron Latu during position-specific drills.

“Eyabi, he’s a great player,” redshirt junior Anfernee Jennings said at SEC Media Days. “We haven’t really got in pads yet, but so far, he’s doing a great job in the conditioning program, working out, learning the playbook. Just trying to learn the game from the older guys and learn as much as he can, so I’m looking forward to seeing him.”

A redshirt sophomore, Knott made his first career appearance last season against Ole Miss and also saw time at Texas A&M but did not record any stats. The 5-foot-11, 183-pounder worked with the cornerbacks Friday, as the position group mixed things up in practice.

Lewis suffered a torn right ACL while training this offseason and could miss the entire 2018-19 season. The junior was spotted at the facility prior to practice with a brace on his right leg, which was heavily wrapped, and appeared to be walking well despite the injury.

Alabama will return to practice Saturday, Aug. 4, for its annual open practice as part of Fan Day at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The public practice will begin at 2:30 p.m. CT and Saban and players will be available for autographs afterward. Saban, offensive coordinator Mike Locksley and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi will speak to reporters for the Tide’s annual Media Day.

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“I thought we had a really good summer with our players,” Saban said. “This fall camp testing that we did after the summer conditioning program was one of the better results that we’ve had. I think we only had maybe 12 or 13 guys that didn’t pass the test, which is tied for the lowest out of 110 guys. That’s a pretty good count. So, I think the big question we have to ask ourselves is what are we going be in 30 days from now? What are we going to become?

“And the goal of camp, obviously, is to get every player to play and compete at the highest level with the most consistency and to be able to do that over an entire season.”

Alabama returns 12 starters from last year’s team that finished 13-1 and won the school’s 17th championship. One of those is quarterback Jalen Hurts, who led his position group in drills Friday and will compete with Tua Tagovailoa for the first-team job behind center this fall.

Saban did not field a question on the signal callers but will have another chance early Saturday.

Alabama will return to practice Saturday, Aug. 4, for its annual Fan Day practice, which is held at Bryant-Denny Stadium and open for the public to attend. Then and in the practices to come, the head coach of the Tide will look for his players to push past their breaking points.

“We’re trying to prepare our team to have a unique standard of excellence in how they compete and how they go about what they do,” Saban said. “You either endure it or you strive to succeed at it. If you endure it, you’re always going to be looking for an easy way.

“You’re always going to be looking for a shortcut. You’re not going to get where you need to be. If you try to thrive, then you’re always going to be thinking about what's next, how do I improve, what do I need to do better. Leadership on the team probably has something to do with that. I think that’s something that’s a work in progress with this group, as well.

“But I was very pleased with the first day of practice. I thought we had good carryover from the summer. We have a lot of young players that we needed to develop and improve, and today was a good opportunity for them to get started doing that.”

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Now, for the not-so-good news.

Alabama’s inside linebacker position is arguably the thinnest on its roster, after the offseason losses of Keith Holcombe and VanDarius Cowan, the Tide was left with six scholarship players to man the middle of its defense. Saban admitted he would’ve liked to added more.

“We have to develop the players that we have,” he said. “We tried everything we could to try to add somebody to that position. I think Mack (Wilson) and Dylan (Moses) will do extremely well. We need Markail Benton to mature and develop and not be one of those guys that’s always looking for an easy way. Joshua McMillon has got some experience and toughness.”

Mack Wilson and Dylan Moses were first through drills Friday, and that will continue. However, it will be up to McMillon, Benton, Ben Davis and a true freshman to step up behind them.

Saban also pointed to some possibilities for experimentation, although the outside linebackers don’t have a ton of experienced depth, either, after losing Terrell Lewis to an ACL setback.

“Christopher Allen has been working some in there. So has Christian Miller,” Saban said. “Jaylen Moody is a young player who has to develop some confidence and knowing what to do. We’ll see how that goes. That’s kind of where it's at.”

Alabama will practice again Saturday, Aug. 4, at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The team’s annual Fan Day practice will begin at 2:30 p.m. CT and will be open for the public to attend, free of charge.

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Here is Tosh's first press conference. His opening was, "Hey ya'll, I'm a Tosh and I'm fired up to be here" then he said he was ready for questions
Alabama Maven

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FWIW, looks like Jalen Hurts is taking the first snaps with the starters during Alabama's open practice. Would expect them to rotate as things go on.

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LINK

He’ll be kicked off the team before week 6

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Mac Jones just threw a really nice ball down field into coverage for a big gain.

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Macsiah

He picked off Tua AND Jalen

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Alabama's Dylan Moses was helped to the locker room during fan day practice:

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Edit: Was told it was just cramps