The days remaining in preseason camp are dwindling, and so are the parking spots in downtown Tuscaloosa. Busy season is back at the University of Alabama, as Wednesday marks the first day of the fall semester.

We’ll leave the debate over whether or not the beginning of classes actually serves as a distraction for the Crimson Tide for another column. At the very least, the return of students serves as another reminder that the season is just around the corner.

In the spirit of the new semester, I’m using this week’s column to draw up a back-to-school supply list for Alabama as it prepares for its season opener against Western Kentucky at the end of the month. With that said, pour yourself a drink, and let’s dive in.

Seeing as though I’m not 100 years old or a cartoon character, I never actually brought one of my teachers an apple growing up. Still, the apple is a symbol of school starting, so that’s the direction we're headed in with our drink of the week.

The Apples to Apples cocktail from Session Cocktails is the perfect concoction for the occasion. The only problem is that it won’t be on the menu until the fall. For those who don’t want to wait until then, here’s how to stir it up yourself.

Before we get started on the ingredients, you’ll need to whip up a spiced demerara syrup. Session makes theirs with 60 grams of crushed cinnamon sticks, 80 grams of crushed pecans, 15 grams of cloves, six crushed cardamom pods and 1,200 grams of demerara syrup. (I realize this is enough to last you the whole fall, but I’m not about to break these measurements down to a single serving.) Once you have all that, place the spices in a blender and mix with the syrup. Let the mixture sit overnight and store in your refrigerator.

Now that the hard part is over, add 2 ounces of vodka, 2 ounces of your favorite apple cider, ¾ ounce of lemon juice and ¾ ounce of your syrup into a shaker over ice. Pour into a glass and top with two ounces of soda water. Give it a light stir and enjoy.

Cheers!

(Commercial break: My drink of the week section is now sponsored by my friends at Session Cocktails in Tuscaloosa. Session has been a mainstay in Tuscaloosa’s cocktail scene since 2019 and offers some of the tastiest drinks in town. Stop by and tell them I said hi!)

Erasers

Alabama lost its top three sack leaders from last year in Dallas Turner, Chris Braswell and Justin Eboigbe. That trio combined to bring down the quarterback 25 times, roughly 64% of the Tide’s season tally.

Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack wants his unit’s personality to revolve around creating pressure and forcing opposing offenses into turnovers. To do that, Alabama will need to find a few more defenders capable of erasing quarterbacks in the backfield.

A good place to start is at the Bandit position where 280-pound ass kicker LT Overton has created quite a bit of buzz the past two weeks. The Tide also has a pack of talented edge rushers at the Wolf position including Que Robinson, Keanu Koht and Qua Russaw.

While that quartet has plenty of potential, it combined for just 1.5 sacks last season. If Alabama’s defense is going to rise to its full potential, it will need at least one member of that bunch to break out this fall.

Highlighters

Alabama should be well-stocked in the highlight department. That’s especially true at the receiver position where a few new faces have already made bright starts to their college careers.

Five-star talent Ryan Williams has been turning heads all camp, while fellow freshman receiver Caleb Odom also features a high ceiling of potential to match his towering 6-foot-5 frame. Saturday, Rico Scott became the latest freshman wideout to introduce himself on the big stage, tallying several receptions and a pair of touchdowns during Alabama’s second preseason scrimmage.

Alabama’s loaded receiving corps also features a promising trio of juniors in Kendrick Law, Kobie Prentice and Washington transfer Germie Bernard. Meanwhile, potential breakout stars such as junior Emmanuel Henderson and redshirt freshman Cole Adams have also drawn praise during camp.

The strength of Alabama’s receiving unit is its speed, and Jalen Milroe’s rocket arm should be able to take advantage of that on downfield passes. According to Pro Football Focus, the right-hander ranked third among all Division I quarterbacks last season with a 96.9 deep-ball grade. Given his reloaded arsenal of weapons, Milroe should be in a position to continue lighting up defenses this fall.

Three-hole-punch

Alabama's backfield is a bit banged up at the moment, but the unit is expected to return to relatively full health by the start of the season. When it does, Justice Haynes, Jam Miller and Richard Young figure to form a three-headed monster capable of punching through holes in opposing defenses.

Haynes has led the unit throughout most of camp. The sophomore signed with Alabama as the top-rated back in last year’s class and flashed his potential in limited action during his debut season last year. Now, he’ll look to carry that over into a potential starting role this fall.

If Haynes is option 1A for Alabama, Miller is a more-than-capable 1B. The junior took home MVP honors during the A-Day scrimmage this spring, carrying the ball eight times for 83 yards and a pair of touchdowns. While he was held out of Saturday’s scrimmage for precautionary reasons, he’s been able to carry over his offseason momentum into preseason camp.

After sitting out Alabama’s first preseason scrimmage with an injury last weekend, Young was the star of the Tide’s backfield on Saturday. The redshirt freshman features a punishing running style that could gash tired defenses late in games this season.

Combination lock

Alabama had one of college football’s top lockdown duos in Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry last season. Now that the pair of starting cornerbacks have moved on to the NFL, the Tide will need to find a new combination lock for this year’s secondary.

One half of Alabama’s new starting cornerback tandem figures to be Domani Jackson. The Southern California transfer has led the unit throughout the offseason and appears to be living up to his five-star potential entering his junior season.

While Alabama’s other starting spot hasn’t been determined, the Tide has plenty of capable options to choose from. Wake Forest transfer DaShawn Jones took the majority of first-team reps during last week’s scrimmage while five-star freshman Zabien Brown started across from Jackson on Saturday. Meanwhile, fellow five-star freshman Jaylen Mbakwe might have more talent than anyone in the unit and could eventually pass up both Jones and Brown by the end of the year.

Alabama is still working to find which combination clicks best, but all of its options are looking strong at the moment.

Glue

Alabama’s offensive line is slowly coming together with just one more starting spot to fill at right tackle. Much of the Tide’s growth up front during camp can be credited to its glue guys in the interior, as Washington transfer center Parker Brailsford has teamed up with returning guards Tyler Booker and Jaeden Roberts to lead the unit.

Along with forming perhaps the strongest interior trio in the nation, those three have also played a key role in helping Alabama’s young tackles find their footing during camp. Kadyn Proctor appears to have reclaimed his starting role as the blindside blocker, while Wilkin Formby and Elijah Pritchett continue to battle for the opening at right tackle. As the Tide looks to find its strongest five up front, chemistry and the ability to gel together on the field will be vital moving forward.

“We’re all we got,” Roberts said. “As an O-line, that relationship is strong. We’re like brothers. At the end of the day, we know we’ve got to protect each other. We’ve been working for the past couple of weeks, building that relationship, getting stronger together mentally and physically.”

Band-Aids

Wide receiver Jalen Hale’s season-ending knee injury has been Alabama’s only major setback this offseason, but the Tide is dealing with a few bumps and bruises heading into the final week of camp.

Roberts suffered an upper-body injury on Saturday and was seen wearing a sling on the sidelines. Following the scrimmage, Kalen DeBoer said the starting lineman will be able to return in time for the season opener. However, Roberts figures to be sidelined for the time being.

Miller should be able to return to full contact shortly, but the junior is one of several Tide players who are working their way back on the field at the moment.

“We kept a couple of guys out,” DeBoer said following the scrimmage. “If they had to play, they could’ve. A guy like Jam Miller. I know you guys are well aware. He was dinged up a week ago. He could’ve gone today if he needed to, but we’re just not getting too crazy and being smart. We’re getting healthier, even though we had a few guys dinged up today.”

Sharpener

Alabama didn’t commit many pre-snap penalties during its first preseason scrimmage last week. By the sound of it, Saturday was pretty clean in that regard as well. While that’s encouraging, it will be important for the Tide to continue to stay sharp and avoid what DeBoer has dubbed as “foolish penalties” moving forward.

"We’re harping on that every day,” offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan said last week. “We chart it. We bring attention to it. I think you achieve what you emphasize and so that’s certainly been a point of emphasis for us.”

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