re: Spring Football News & Info

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[DL #94 — D.J. Dale
Dale’s probably drawn the most praise this spring, and passed up Phidarian Mathis to work his way onto the first team defense as a nose tackle. With the Crimson offense running the ball little, Dale didn’t get a whole lot of action, but he really kept the middle bottled up whenever Najee Harris tried to run up the gut. He forced both Harris and Jerome Ford to reroute and go for a different hole 3 different times that I saw, which is a good day for a nose tackle.

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Alabama’s spring practice is a wrap. Below are some combined quick stats for you to ruminate over for the next four months.

S P E C I A L T E A M S

PUNTING

Will Reichard 6-253, 42.2 ypp, 1 touchback (needs better hangtime)
Skyler DeLong 4-190, 47.5 ypp, 1 touchback
Mike Bernier 1-34 (good hangtime, just not booming)

KICKING

Will Reichard 1-1, made 43 yards, 4-4 XP
Joseph Bulovas 1-3, 34 yards, missed 49, 41 yards, 2-2 XP (1st attempt at PAT - hit upright and bounced thru)

DEFENSE

Shane Lee 6 solos-2 asst, INT
Phidarian Mathis 2-3, 2 sacks,
Eddie Smith 3-1, INT
Xavier McKinney 4-3, TFL
Joshua McMillon 4-3, TFL
Dylan Moses 4-2
Chris Allen 3 solos, 2 sacks
Nigel Knott 5-1
Josh Jobe 3-1, 3 pass break-ups
Trevon Diggs 2-0, INT, brk-up
Anfernee Jennings 2-2, sack
DJ Dale sack
Eyabi Anoma 1-2, half TFL, 2 brk-up, QBH
Raekwon Davis 1-1, sack
Christian Barmore 1-1, sack, half TFL
Justin Eboigbe 2-2, sack
Antonio Alfano 2 sacks
Ale Kaho 3-0
Jaylen Moody 0 tackles, pick six
Jarez Parks QBH

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2. Freshman receiver John Metchie, tight end Cameron Latu

Alabama fans were spoiled last year with the play of receiver Jaylen Waddle as a true freshman. This year, Alabama fans has another freshman receiver to be excited about: John Metchie.

Metchie caught 3 passes for 101 yards in the first half, and finished the game with 5 catches for 133 yards. Metchie was named A-Day MVP.

Alabama is loaded at receiver with Waddle, Jerry Jeudy, DeVonta Smith and Henry Ruggs all back, but Metchie might be too good to keep off the field.

Another young offensive player who should be mentioned is tight end Cameron Latu. Latu looked like a natural after switching from linebacker this spring.

Latu caught 2 passes for 37 yards. He played with the first-team offense, splitting time with Miller Forristall. Latu will have all summer to continue learning the position, but right now, he already looks like he was born to play it.

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Alabama assistant coaches and coordinators are rarely made available to the beat reporters. Away from the UA football facilities, however, things are different.

TMZ Sports recently got in a few quick questions with Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian at the Los Angeles airport. He says he’s happy to be back at Alabama.

“I’m excited man,” Sarkisian said. “It’s a great opportunity!”

When asked about a return to the NFL one day, Sarkisian did not rule it out. He spent the 2017 and ’18 seasons as offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons.

“You never know,” Sarkisian responded. “Just focus on the job you have now. I’m fired up to have it.”

Sarkisian is also already on message when it comes to talking about Alabama’s goals for 2019. He didn’t take the bait when the reporter asked about the Crimson Tide “reclaiming the crown.”

“Just take it one day at a time, man,” Sarkisian said. “You know the process at Alabama.”

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QB situation: A

Outside of maybe Clemson because it is guaranteed 2 more years with Trevor Lawrence, Alabama has the best quarterback situation in the country.

Tua Tagovailoa looks poised to make another run at the Heisman Trophy while leading Alabama back to the College Football Playoff. The key for Tagovailoa will be remaining healthy. He was banged up a lot last year.

This season, there is no Jalen Hurts to come off the bench and save Alabama if Tagovailoa is knocked out of a game. Mac Jones is a solid backup, but he doesn’t have the game experience yet. Alabama’s two young quarterbacks — Taulia Tagovailoa and Paul Tyson — have a lot of growing to do before they’re ready for game action.

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Running game: B

There weren’t a ton of running lanes for the first-team offense because the first-team defense is really good. Najee Harris had a touchdown, and a few other good runs, but nothing crazy. He did try to hurdle, which didn’t fool the defender. The result of the play was Harris landing on his neck. He popped up immediately, but it didn’t look good. At some point, he has to cut down on the hurdling, especially against tacklers will more ill intent than a teammate.

The running game will mostly depend on the play of the offensive line. If they’re getting movement and creating holes, Harris should have a massive year. So will Brian Robinson. Both are talented and physical ball carriers.

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Offensive line: C

The offensive line is probably still a question mark because of injuries and new players stepping into bigger roles. Alabama’s pass rushers had strong performances on the first- and second-team defense during A-Day.

Starting right tackle Jedrick Wills missed the majority of spring with an injury. Matt Womack stepped in at right tackle for Wills while Deonte Brown lined up at right guard. Redshirt freshman Emil Ekiyor and redshirt junior Chris Owens worked at left guard and center, respectively, with the first-team offense. Alex Leatherwood is back at left tackle for the first time since replacing an injured Jonah Williams in the national championship game against Georgia during the 2017 season.

This is a talented group, but they need more time to develop together as a unit. Getting Wills back will send one of those guys to a backup role which will help the second unit as well.

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Passing defense: A

Arguably the brightest spot for the entire team was the play of the first-team secondary. They picked off Tua Tagovailoa once, and could have had a couple of more takeaways.

This group has the chance to be one of the best in the country. That’s an impressive turnaround considering how much they were picked on in the 2018 postseason.

Trevon Diggs, Josh Jobe and Patrick Surtain II are all long, athletic corners who can be physical with receivers and cover down field. They gave up one bomb when Tua found Jeudy for a late touchdown, but other than that, the secondary was lockdown during A-Day. That’s a great sign for Alabama’s defense overall. A good pass rush and a good secondary will keep Alabama’s playing at a high level again this year.

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Needs improvement

Mostly the offensive line. They just need more time together.

Alabama has finished in the SEC’s top 5 in yards per carry 9 times in the past 10 seasons. There’s no reason to panic or think that’s going to change in 2019. As pass heavy as the Tide were in 2018, they still averaged 5.21 yards per carry.

Alabama also needs to continue to develop its defensive depth. As we’ve seen, the first group is really good, but guys behind them need to step up so the starters aren’t worn down throughout the season.

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