How one motto sums up Alabama's approach this offseason

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The message printed on Anfernee Jennings’ wristband matches the mantra shared by the rest of the Alabama football team this offseason: Humble over hype.

Ranked No. 1 in the initial Amway Coaches Poll, Alabama returns this season with one of the most talent-laden squads in recent memory. Of course, none of that actually matters to anyone on its highly-acclaimed roster.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban made it a point to squash out any talk of his team’s No. 1 status as soon it was announced, playing down the ranking during his first news conference of fall camp.

“We're not going to be in the mood to be making comparisons or making comments on rankings,” Saban said. “It's flattering that people think highly of our team, but our team needs to understand that they need to prove who they are to by what they do, and this means very, very little.”

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Since that moment, or perhaps even before, Alabama players have followed suit, shutting out any possible noise or distractions. Quarterback Jalen Hurts announced he was off of Twitter, Instagram and any other type of social media.

Minkah Fitzpatrick is a member of several preseason watch lists, including the Jim Thorpe Award, Maxwell Award, Bednarik Award and Nagurski Trophy. However, if it wasn’t for his family the All-American defensive back wouldn’t have had a clue.

“I don’t pay attention to none of that stuff,” Fitzpatrick said during Alabama’s Media Day on Saturday. “The only person brings it to my attention is my mother sometimes because I don’t have no social media for real on my phone right now. I posted one tweet like a couple of days ago before camp, but besides that, I’m just locked in on my team and improving on myself.”

It’s no secret the last-second defeat to Clemson in the national championship game is a driving force behind Alabama’s determined approach. There isn’t a member of the Tide’s returning roster who doesn’t remember the emptiness that ensued as orange and purple confetti rained down from Raymond James Stadium.

That moment, as Hurts put it last week, is “in the rearview.” However, until Alabama takes the field against No. 3 Florida State on Sept. 2 it will continue to linger in players’ minds.

“The thing about a rearview mirror is you can see it, you can see what's behind you,” Hurts said. “So we're not looking back to see what's behind us, but it motivates us. And at the end of the day, we've just got to go to practice and have a reason why — a purpose. Practice with a purpose."

Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt stressed the importance of building leadership this offseason. After losing 10 players to the NFL draft, Alabama will need its veterans to step up both on and off the field.

One emphasis heavily stressed by the team is the concept of sacrifice. While some members of Alabama’s roster have been shy to declare what exactly they are changing in order to get better this spring, the general consensus appears to be a shift toward giving oneself up for good of the team.

"Stuff like that, you might not think it affects you, but it really does."

“It’s just doing what you’re supposed to do, sometimes that might be a sacrifice,” Fitzpatrick said. "Just sleeping when you’re supposed to sleep, eating the right things, not eating candy or something like that. Stuff like that, you might not think it affects you, but it really does. The days where you sacrifice you can tell there’s a whole difference in the way you play and the way you handle yourself.”

We over me. Camaraderie over conceitedness. Humble over hype.

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