Alabama 3-2-1: A look at the upcoming week for the Tide (April 10-16)

More Spring Practice Coverage

30-Days Free To BamaInsider.com- Click Here To Learn More

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Fresh off of holding its first scrimmage of spring camp, Alabama heads into the week with an equal amount of questions and answers. The Crimson Tide saw starting quarterback Jalen Hurts shine, its secondary stutter and a handful of surprise players standout over the weekend. Let's break down what happened during the scrimmage while taking a look at what to expect in the future in our latest 3-2-1 segment.

At times Alabama’s depth at running back doesn’t seem fair. Saturday was one of those moments.

The Tide started its first scrimmage with three of its four returning backs on the bench. By the end of the day, that number would grow by one as last year’s starter Damien Harries suffered a sprained foot.

Turns out, Alabama didn’t need them anyway.

With Bo Scarbrough (leg), B.J. Emmons (foot) and Josh Jacobs (thigh bruise) all held out of the scrimmage, it just meant more playing time for the Tide’s two early enrollees, Najee Harris and Brian Robinson.

Najee Harris, 6-foot-2, 227 pounds, comes to Alabama as the No. 1 overall player in the 2017 class, while Robinson, 6-foot-1, 218 pounds, is a four-star prospect from right in the Tide’s backyard of Tuscaloosa. If that isn’t enough, Alabama also lists four-star early enrollee Chadarius Townsend as a running back on its official roster.

While Alabama head coach Nick Saban voiced concern over the offensive line’s ability to get enough movement up front, he seemed to like what he saw from his freshmen on the day

“Najee played a lot. Brian Robinson played a lot,” Saban said. “Which is good for them. We're trying Chadarius Townsend at receiver... All those guys are guys that can make a contribution to our team and we're looking for ways that we can use them."

Saban said he didn’t feel Damien Harris’ foot injury would be serious, stating it might keep him out a few days. The head coach also said Jacobs “probably could have scrimmaged” Saturday, but he decided to hold him out. Scarbrough and Emmons continue to wear black, non-contact jerseys during practice but are expected to be at 100 percent for the Tide’s season opener against Florida State on Sept. 2.

By that time, the only backs sitting on Alabama’s bench will be waiting for their turn on the field.

Heading into spring camp, many projected rising sophomore Trevon Diggs to push for a starting spot this season. Although, few predicted the 6-foot-2, 195-pound athlete to be lining up on the Tide's first-team defense.

Diggs proved his versatility as a freshman, working at safety and receiver during fall camp before focusing primarily at receiver where he tallied 11 receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown last year. While still listed as a receiver on Alabama’s official roster, Saban announced Diggs would be moved to cornerback as an “experiment” at the beginning of camp.

So far that switch has paid off for both parties. According to Saban, Diggs started at left cornerback opposite of returning starter Anthony Averett on the Tide’s first-team defense during the scrimmage.

“We’re pleased with the progress that he’s made,” Saban said. “He’s much more natural playing at corner than when we tried to play him at safety. That’s where he played in high school. He’s long, he’s got good toughness and he’s a good tackler. He plays the ball well in the deep part of the field and he’s done a good job of playing man-to-man.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do with him the rest of the spring. We’ll probably decide something after the end of this when we look at the scrimmage.”

Diggs' move to corner allowed Minkah Fitzpatrick to slide back to strong safety, the position he started at in the final seven games last season. Fitzpatrick had previously spent the first couple weeks of spring camp working at corner.

“He’s learning,” Fitzpatrick said when asked about Diggs earlier this spring. “He’s kind of a little bit uncomfortable in the corner spot. But he’s a great athlete so I think he’s going to thrive out there.”

Earlier this spring Fitzpatrick stated cornerback was the position where he felt the “most comfortable.” However, given the talented defensive back’s previous success at safety, it might make more sense to play him there since there is more of a need at the position.

While Alabama failed to release stats for the scrimmage, Saban did reveal the numbers for three of his top receivers on the afternoon. Calvin Ridley led the way for the Tide with eight catches, while T.J. Simmons had seven and Robert Foster had three.

Last season, Ridley was second on the team with 769 yards and seven touchdowns while reeling in a team-high 72 receptions. That came after a record-breaking freshman season that saw him gain 1,045 receiving yards, eclipsing the Alabama single-season mark for a freshman set by Amari Cooper in 2012.

This year, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound receiver appears poised to return to his previous elite form as he looks to take advantage of an improved passing performance from Jalen Hurts in his second season. Saban said Hurts completed more than 50 percent of his passes while throwing four touchdowns and no interceptions during the scrimmage.

* Sunday Pulpit: What to make of the enigma that is Jalen Hurts

Ridley, who roomed with Hurts last year, already shares plenty of chemistry with his starting quarterback and expects him to continue to improve next season.

“He's balling. He's doing good,” Ridley said of Hurts earlier this spring. “He's working on his pass game a lot and trying to get that right. The coach is going to do a good job with him. He's getting coached really well, so I see great things for him.”

One of the biggest surprises so far this spring has been the emergence of redshirt sophomore Matt Womack at right tackle. Heading into camp, many projected five-star early enrollees Elliot Baker and Alex Leatherwood to battle it out for the open spot at right tackle, as sophomore Jonah Williams slides over to the left side to replace departing left tackle Cam Robinson. However, Leatherwood, the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2017 class, and Baker, the nation's No. 2 JUCO player, find themselves behind Womack in the Tide's "rep chart."

* Alabama lineman Matt Womack proving to be bigger than his 3-star rating

Surrounded by former highly-prized recruits on Alabama's offensive line, Womack, a former three-star, seems to be holding his own just fine. Saturday the 6-foot-7, 326-pound lineman drew praise from Saban, who stated Womack was "making progress and doing a good job." The head coach was also complimentary of Womack when asked about him earlier in the week.

"I thought he had a really good offseason," Saban said. "His body is starting to develop, starting to show a lot of maturity, balance and body control, better conditioning, better ability to sustain more mental toughness, better idea of what he’s supposed to do. Grasp of the offense, which allows him to play with more confidence. So, been really pleased with him."

While Womack has put forth a solid performance early on, Saban pointed out a need for improvement across the offensive line Saturday. Following the scrimmage, the head coach said the Tide did not manage many long runs on the ground and stated he'd like to see a bigger push from the line.

"I think that's something we definitely need to continue to work on,” Saban said. “I don't think we got enough movement up front.”

If Womack does falter, Leatherwood would appear next in line to take his position at right tackle. The true freshman has played at both right and left tackle this spring and was the second team right tackle on Saturday. Saban said right guard Lester Cotton could also play right tackle if needed.

There's no winning during a scrimmage. If one area performs well, it inevitably means another area struggles. That was the case in the secondary as Alabama's young group of defensive backs failed to keep up with its talented wide receivers.

It's true the core of Alabama's secondary is quite experienced. Averett, a senior, should start while fellow senior Tony Brown seems to have the Star position locked down for now. Junior safeties Fitzpatrick and Ronnie Harrison both have two years of playing time under their belt as well. As Alabama stands right now, Diggs would be the only underclassman in the Tide's starting lineup.

However, as Alabama moves deeper into its "rep chart" its experience fades fast. Outside of the starting unit, senior safety Hootie Jones and senior cornerback Levi Wallace are the only two upperclassmen in the secondary. Saturday, the Tide was reminded how costly that inexperience can be.

"I think a lot of the young players made a lot of mental errors, but that's OK," Saban said. "I think that's why we put them out there. They'll learn from the mistakes that they made and we're going to have an opportunity to get some of those guys better. It's pretty obvious to me that we don't have enough respect for the deep part of the field in the back end, especially past the first team because we gave up quite a few explosive plays with the second and third secondary when they were in there."

Saban was pressed further about the topic as he was asked "what went wrong." The head coach was quick to come to the defense of his young secondary, stating mistakes are expected at this point in the season.

"Well, we have a lot of young players in the secondary that are freshmen playing and they don't know what they're doing. That's what went wrong," Saban said. "It didn't go wrong, they just don't know any better. Did you know everything now that you know now when you were a freshman? First semester in college? I'm assuming you went to college, right? So you learned, right?

"We're encouraged by what these guys are doing and we just need to keep working with them and it's their first time out there, a lot of anxiety, not certain about what they're doing and not playing with a lot of confidence. That's really to be expected. It gives us all a starting point of where they need to go and what they need to do, and I'm sure they'll learn a lot from it. We're excited about having the opportunity to work with them."

Lost in Saban's postgame review of Saturday's scrimmage was a simple line that could very well foreshadow Alabama's offensive attack this season. When addressing the Tide's receiving corps, the head coach mentioned, "the backs had quite a few catches." Given newly hired offensive coordinator Brian Daboll's ties to the New England Patriots, that shouldn't be too much of a surprise. The Patriots have long utilized their running backs in the passing game, oftentimes getting them the ball on swing passes and screens.

Alabama's depth of talent at the position should allow Daboll to employ the same attack with the Tide. Last season, Jacobs led Alabama running backs with 14 receptions for 156 yards, while Damien Harris also finished with 14 catches for 99 yards. From the sound of things, it appeared Najee Harris and Robinson proved to be just as two dimensional on Saturday. Combine that with Townsend, who has spent time at running back and receiver, and the Tide has a wealth of options to throw to in the backfield.

Comment on this story here

Related content

Jalen Hurts, passing game steal the show in Alabama's first scrimmage

Assistant coach Joe Pannunzio a welcomed addition at Alabama

Alabama safety Ronnie Harrison believes 'now it's my turn' to lead

Freshman linebacker Dylan Moses already turning heads at Alabama

Alabama lineman Matt Womack proving to be bigger than his 3-star rating