TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama football’s annual A-Day event will look different this year. Kalen DeBoer is shifting the day to structured drills rather than the traditional game-like scrimmage that has historically closed out spring camp.
Instead of a four-quarter game, Alabama will run a 90-minute practice featuring positional drills and controlled team situations. This change allows for more player evaluation and minimizes injury risks, a decision DeBoer is confident in.
“We will have more of a practice, a full practice like we would have any day,” DeBoer said after Alabama's first spring scrimmage Thursday. "And again, it allows us, as I referred to earlier, to have a controlled setting, to control just the reps that certain guys get. We understand the significance and love. Everyone loves football here. So we want to make that day available, show off our guys and our guys go do their thing."
Although the format will change, Alabama will continue many of the A-Day traditions that fans have come to expect in Tuscaloosa. From the Walk of Champions to the 2024 captains cementing their hand and cleat marks in front of Denny Chimes, the day will emphasize fan experience, something DeBoer wants his players to feel as well.
“It’s really important for our guys to get in front of fans," DeBoer said. "I remember a year ago when we came out — this year, we have 18 new freshmen and then we also have some transfers that are here, and this is their first time in Bryant-Denny with people. So I think that’s a huge benefit for us. I remember seeing some guys a little bit like, ‘Wow,’ eyes wide open, and so that’s a huge benefit for us because throughout the fall and fall camp, we won’t experience that to the extent like we will here in a couple of weeks.”
While some may miss having the scrimmage, the change is part of a broader trend in college football, with some teams canceling spring games altogether and others introducing new formats to let fans see their team in the spring. Colorado head coach Deion Sanders and Syracuse head coach Fran Brown made headlines, agreeing verbally that their teams would hold a scrimmage against each other instead of a traditional inter-squad game.
The Buffaloes and Orange are awaiting a decision from the NCAA on whether the proposed NFL preseason-like scrimmage will be approved. DeBoer has no plans for the immediate future to emulate this, but he’s keeping his options open down the line.
“This year, I definitely wouldn't want to have that type of scrimmage,” DeBoer said. “I think every program can do what they want to do, and to me, it's about us making ourselves better. I think there are some things, like when the NFL has their times during fall camp, where they might go specifically against a team that gives them certain fronts and coverages or a certain style of offense that they might not see much from their own team during their preparation at fall camp or OTAs, or whatever it might be.
"There are benefits to that. I've thought about that. When we would do that is a little up in the air, and we'll continue to evolve, we'll continue to adjust. So the answer I give you right now might not be the same answer I give you down the road as we develop.”
For the first time since 2006, this year’s A-Day will not be televised, offering an exclusive in-person experience for fans who attend. Gates to Bryant-Denny will open at 11 a.m., with the Walk of Champions ceremony and other festivities kicking off at 10 a.m., setting the stage for another change in the new era of Alabama football.
