Alabama has been through six practices in the spring so far, and just held its second practice in full pads on Saturday afternoon. With three weeks remaining until the A-Day game on April 13, the Crimson Tide are closing in on the halfway point of offseason preparations.
Already noticing several improvements so far during practice is redshirt junior safety DeVonta Smith who has seen tremendous improvement from his teammates on the defensive side of the ball.
“Every single defensive back we have has shown out this spring,” Smith said. “Everyone’s had a chance, everyone’s been able to play and make plays, and they’ve all been phenomenal and that’s the least I can say.”
After suffering from a foot injury throughout the majority of last season, Smith returns as one of the veteran leaders in the defensive back unit. The 6-foot, 194-pound safety has already been a prominent leader in learning how to adjust to a new coaching staff and new players.
“We have a lot of different guys coming out there from different teams,” Smith said. “Pretty much off the field, we’ve been trying to build that trust, build that family within each other. At the end of the day, we’re all football players, we’re all great, we’re all here for a reason. But it ultimately comes down to trust.”
During the early part of the offseason, head coach Kalen DeBoer hired Maurice Linguist from Buffalo to become a defensive back coach, and a co-defensive coordinator. In his two months with the program, he’s already made a significant impact on Smith and the other members of the secondary this spring.
“He’s another technical guy, technical coach we have in there,” Smith said. “He was a head coach at Buffalo previously. He’s just brought that energy, it’s just an energy that’s unmatched. Coach Mo, coach Shephard, both of those guys are on different sides of the ball, but bringing that energy with both of them is making the whole team better.”
Linguist was hired on Jan. 16, just four days after DeBoer was hired as the head coach of the program. Though he brings a new face and new style to the team, his coaching has been able to increase the focus of his players.
“It’s more communication in there,” Smith said. “It’s not just coach talking, it’s interactive. He’s making sure we’re paying attention and not just wandering off. He’s interactive, making us answer questions, things like that. So that’s pretty much how it’s been.”
As for Smith, the veteran safety hasn’t seen a lot of action in his three years with the program, but has been constantly working on finding a way into the rotation. This season, he just may make his big break.
“I think the first thing with DeVonta [Smith] is the energy,” defensive back coach Colin Hitschler said. “He’s a leader on and off the field. He’s been in and out of the lineup his whole time here, but he’s a fighter who keeps fighting to get back. When he’s out there, he provides a lot of energy to the group. He’s a great guy to coach, I can’t say enough about him.”
With nine practices remaining for spring training, the Crimson Tide are still adjusting to new players and new coaches, but everything has gone according to plan so far in Tuscaloosa to this point.
