Alabama Football Spring Game Preview, The Complete Breakdown

Tuscaloosa, Ala. — The annual Alabama Spring Football Game will take place this Saturday, April 22nd at Bryant-Denny Stadium and today, we provide a breakdown of what to watch between the Crimson and White.

FLASH SALE: Get 6 Months Free - Offer Ends on Friday, April 21

NEW: Complete Spring Game Rosters (4/21)

Popular: Schedule | Eligibility Chart | Depth Chart | Roster | Podcast

(Scroll down to read the complete preview)

Kickoff is set for 2 PM, last year more than 75,000 fans attended the game and while this will be the Nation’s first look at Alabama who is coming off a 14-1 season, the Spring Game has a few different rules that are worth noting before we preview the inter-squad matchup.

*Black jerseys are not live. Generally, you’ll see quarterbacks in a Black Jersey.

*There is no live special teams play. Kickoffs, punts, and field goals will take place, but no live action.

*The scrimmage will feature a running clock except for the last 4:00 minutes of each half

*The game will feature 15 minute quarters and a 12-minute halftime

We do not know which players will be on the Crimson and White rosters, but we can provide a look at how Alabama’s team fares against themselves in a few positional categories.

(Scroll Down For Complete Breakdown)

Quarterback Outlook

The Alabama Defense will have to account for Alabama Quarterback Jalen Hurts, the returning SEC Offensive Player of the Year that accounted for 2,780-yards passing, 954-yards rushing, and 36 touchdowns as a freshman last season. All eyes will be closely locked in on Hurts to see his on the field progression as well as his deep ball placement. The dual-threat quarterback will also be judged on his ability to stay in the pocket and go through down field reads, rather than just tucking the football and running, which he had a tendency to do during the 2016 season.

Popular: Alabama's 5 biggest position battles heading into A-Day

The Alabama Secondary will also have to face Freshmen Quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones, two early enrollee quarterbacks that have looked capable this spring. It’s likely that Tagovailoa is the starting quarterback opposite of Hurts and the 6-foot-1, 220-pound native from Hawaii has been noted throughout spring for his near perfect deep spiral and connecting with fellow early enrollee Jerry Jeudy several times in previous scrimmages over the top of the defense for scores.

Receiver and Tight End Outlook

The receiver corps for Alabama is very dangerous, filled with playmakers that can make the big play by coming up with big catches down the field along with players that can turn the short pass into an 80-yard score. Calvin Ridley at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds returns, last year as a sophomore he caught for 72 receptions (led team) for 769-yards and caught 7 touchdowns. Ardarius Stewart the team's leading receiver in yards left after his junior year to enter the NFL draft, so there is an opportunity for a few receivers to step up.

* Alabama spring practice stock report

Early enrollee Jerry Jeudy out of Deerfield Beach, Florida has shown dynamic hands and route running ability, it’s clear he is going to be a star sooner than later, also watch for more veteran receivers to emerge in 2017, targets like 6-foot-5, 205 pound Cam Sims and 6-foot-2, 196 pound Robert Foster have looked like very dependable targets this spring. Alabama loses O.J. Howard at the tight end position, a huge loss to say the least. The Tight End position looks wide open, but players such as 6-foot-5, 238 pound Miller Forristall, 6-foot-4, 243 pound Irv Smith, and 6-foot-5, 251 pound Hale Hentges should be versatile enough to both block and make a play with the football.

Defensive Secondary Outlook

Alabama returns six defensive starters from the 2016 season and out of six of those starters, four are from the secondary. With the amount of experience that the Crimson Tide returns in the area, it has been surprising to hear that the secondary unit has had trouble keeping up with the Alabama Offense in the two earlier spring scrimmages. The Crimson Tide return Anthony Averett (8 pass deflections in 2016) at Corner who is now a senior, Ronnie Harrison (83 tackles in 2016) who will be at free safety, Minkah Fitzpatrick (6 interceptions in 2016) at the strong safety position, and Tony Brown (32 tackles in 2016) at the Star, and really the only face in the group is Sophomore Trevon Diggs. Diggs who was expected to play receiver for Alabama has emerged as a favorite to start at corner opposite of Averett and has seemed to flourish at the position. During last year’s A-Day it was Harrison who intercepted a pass in the end-zone to give the White Team a 7-3 win over the Crimson and while it seems that this unit has yet to find a spring rhythm, there are simply too many playmakers within this unit to not have someone step up on Saturday.

FLASH SALE: Get 6 Months Free - Offer Ends on Friday, April 21

Running Back Outlook

Crimson Tide Football is built around their run game. Big, powerful backs that can carry the load, and that can wear down the defense is the type of football they want to play. No program in the entire Country has the depth of quality running backs that Alabama has on their roster. Damien Harris at 5-foot-11, 216 pounds led the team in rushing last year hitting 1,037-yards off 146 carries, Bo Scarbrough at 6-foot-2, 232 pounds ran for 812-yards and scored 11 touchdowns, but he has been in a black jersey all spring following a fracture in his leg that took place during the National Championship Game, so we are unsure if he’ll be good to go during A-Day. 5-foot-10, 209 pound Josh Jacobs returns and as a freshman last season he ran for 567-yards off 85 carries and has looked very impressive this spring, Sophomore B.J. Emmons has also been in black jersey this spring dealing with a foot sprain. Alabama also signed two of the top running backs in the Nation from the Class of 2017, both are already on campus. 6-foot-2, 227 pound Najee Harris, and 6-foot-1, 220 pound Brian Robinson are each skillful enough to bust a game wide open, so don’t be surprised if either of the two rips off a big run on Saturday. How many reps each back gets during A-Day is something we all have our eyes on.

Linebacker Outlook

Alabama has some big shoes to fulfill up front and you can read more about their defensive line by scroll down to the defensive line outlook and at the linebacker position, Alabama returns just one starter from 2016 which is Shaun Dion Hamilton. Hamilton has been in a black jersey all spring season after suffering an ACL injury last season and will not partake in the Spring Game on Saturday. Watch for 6-foot-3, 234-pound Rashaan Evans to be a force to deal with on Saturday. He recorded over 12 tackles on this date last year and had 52 tackles as a junior. Early enrollee Dylan Moses at 6-foot-3, 234 pounds has really impressed this spring, he could certainly make an instant impact for the Crimson Tide in 2017. Also at inside linebacker is Tuscaloosa native Keith Holcombe at 6-foot-4, 232 pounds, Holcombe is a very physical and smart football player that has displayed leadership over the last five weeks. At the outside linebacker position, Christian Miller (16 tackles in 2016) and Anfernee Jennings (19 tackles in 2016) are your likely starters in 2017. Miller is 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, with the athleticism to give chase to running backs or chase down quarterbacks, Jennings is 6-foot-3, 265 pounds and built to stop the run. Tyrell Hall and Mack Wilson are two additional names to keep tabs on, both have stood out at times during the spring practice period.

Offensive Line Outlook

With three offensive line starters from the 2016 season back in 2017, Alabama’s offense does not have to fill many voids in the trenches. Bradley Bozeman at 6-foot-5, 314 pounds will starter at center, 6-foot-4, 304 pound Ross Pierschbacher will start at left guard, and 6-foot-5, 301-pound Jonah Williams at left tackle. The right side of the football is a bit more in the air at this point, but we expect 6-foot-4, 324 pound Lester Cotton to play guard, and 6-foot-7, 326 pound Matt Womack at tackle. You could also see 6-foot-4, 350-pound Deonte Brown at guard and early enrollee Alex Leatherwood at 6-foot-6, 327 pounds at tackle. However the right side of the offensive line shakes out, the offensive line unit will again be one of the best in the Country. If our projections for the starting five offensive line hold true, the Crimson Tide will average a whopping 313 pounds across the board, that is NFL type size. If Brown goes to guard and Cotton moves to tackle, the average weight jumps up to 318 pounds.

Defensive Line Outlook

Alabama returns just two defensive starters from the 2016 season to their front seven. Losing Jonathan Allen, Reuben Foster, Ryan Williams, and Dalvin Tomlinson all which are expected to be NFL Draft Picks will be no easy task to replace, but this is Alabama where even current stars must wait their turn for their opportunity to see the field. 6-foot-4, 282 pound D’Shawn Hand (21 tackles in 2016) has looked exceptional this spring along with 6-foot-2, 308 pound Da’Ron Payne (36 tackles in 2016), the defensive end opposite of Hand will likely be either Isaiah Buggs at 6-foot-5, 292 pounds or Quinnen Williams at 6-foot-4, 285 pounds, both have looked the part, Buggs has really emerged as someone that is expected to be a standout pass rusher or run stopper this season, everyone is more than excited to see what he does in game situation. Also watch for 6-foot-7, 303 pound Raekwon Davis to rotate in along with 6-foot-4, 315 pound Joshua Frazier.

We cannot provide you with a game score prediction as the Crimson and White Spring Game Rosters have not been released, but we can provide you with our take on what could happen.

Alabama's offense is under the direction of first-year offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and everyone will be interested to see if there are new wrinkles to the offense in terms of play-calling and formations.

All eyes will be on Alabama Quarterback Jalen Hurts. If he does not perform well and number two quarterback Tua Tagovailoa shines, we're going to be talking about a potential quarterback battle all summer long.

Overall, we know what to expect from Alabama Football, for a program that has been atop the college football mountain for as long as Nick Saban (11th season) has been in Tuscaloosa, you're going to see some of the best football players in the Country.

Stay with BamaInsider.com for live in-game coverage as well as coverage to follow after the game.

Talk About Alabama Football Inside The Talk of Champions Message Board

A-Day

Who: Alabama Football

What: Annual Spring Football Scrimmage

When: April 22, 2017

Where: Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Time: 2 PM CT

TV: ESPN | More On A-Day