Alabama Crimson Tide

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Coming into spring practice, the linebacking corps was thought to be a strength for Alabama. Three of four starters were back for another year on campus and a handful of reserves were poised to develop as most underclassmen do. In general, the outlook was positive.

Fast-forward to the final week of camp and the unit has changed dramatically: C.J. Mosley is stuck in a black no-contact jersey, Trey DePriest is out with a fractured foot and Xzavier Dickson is a question mark after missing Saturday's scrimmage with an injury resembling a bruised knee, according to Bama coach Nick Saban.

None of the injuries threaten to linger on into the fall, supposedly, but it does dramatically change what fans will see come A-Day on Saturday afternoon. Instead of seeing the usual inside linebackers, the annual scrimmage in Bryant-Denny Stadium will spotlight some names people haven't become accustomed to hearing, names such as Tana Patrick, Reggie Ragland, Ryan Anderson and Dillion Lee. The four combined for 25 tackles and zero starts last season.

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Depending on which way you look at it, Alabama's scrimmage on Saturday was either good or bad for the future of the football team. Good because the offense scored 11 touchdowns and didn't cough the ball up once, and bad because the defense failed to make many stops and didn't generate a single turnover.

Ah, the joy of spring football. When you play against yourself no one really wins. The players simply get to hit one another, and that's a pleasant enough experience.

"Defensively, I guess it’s good and bad news," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "We didn’t create any turnovers but the good news is we didn’t turn it over on offense, so that’s probably a good thing. But we practiced a lot of different situations out there, which is great exposure for our players."

Saturday marked the 12th practice and second scrimmage of the spring for the Crimson Tide. The next scrimmage will be the last when the doors to Bryant-Denny Stadium are swung open on April 20 for A-Day.

And even then, the result of the game-like practice will be the same: either the offense will look spectacular and the defense horrendous, or vice versa.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- After only recently naming a top 10 schools, ESPN Watch list defensive tackle Anthony Moten (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) decided to go ahead and make a verbal commitment on Tuesday night.

Moten chose the Florida over offers from Miami, Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, South Carolina and many others.

The 6-foot-4, 280-pound interior defensive lineman announced his decision on Twitter and later confirmed it with GatorNation via text message.

JUST COMMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA..#GOGATORS

— Anthony Moten (@anthony_moten95) April 3, 2013

Moten becomes the first defensive tackle commitment for Florida. Seven of Florida's eight verbal commitments appear on the Watch List.

If Moten stays true to his pledge, he will join other St. Thomas Aquinas graduates Cody Riggs, Bryan Cox Jr. and Marcus Roberson on Florida's roster.

One ESPN scout said Moten could develop in to a very good college defensive lineman: "A player who could potentially project as a 3-4 end or a 4-3 D-tackle, Moten has good size, natural tools and can be a productive player, but also shows room for further improvement. A good D-line prospect who it seems could still get more out of his game and if he does, he could grow into a very good BCS-level D-lineman."

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- When the University of Alabama and Nick Saban come calling, all issues with timing are thrown out the window. Less than two months after accepting the job of tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator at Florida State, Billy Napier has agreed to become the new wide receivers coach for the Crimson Tide.

The move comes on the heels of Alabama hiring Mario Cristobal as its new offensive line coach less than five weeks after he accepted a position with the University of Miami.

Saban said in a news release that Napier was his first choice to fill the shoes of former UA wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator Mike Groh, who opted to leave for a job with the Chicago Bears.

"We are glad to have Billy back on our staff,” Saban said in a statement. "He did an outstanding job when he was with us in 2011 and he was the first call we made when this position opened. He is a sharp young coach and he’ll be a great addition working with the wide receivers. We also feel that he will be a tremendous asset to our staff in the recruiting process."

Napier has a familiarity with Saban's system having served as an offensive quality control coach under former UA offensive coordinator Jim McElwain. Napier followed McElwain to Colorado State in 2012 and spent the year with the Rams before accepting the position at Florida State.

"I have a great appreciation for the University of Alabama and the program Coach Saban runs, especially after spending the 2011 season in Tuscaloosa," Napier said in a statement. "From a professional development standpoint, it was the best year in my coaching career.

"When you’ve been here and seen it first-hand, you know that you want to try and get back to Alabama if that opportunity ever presents itself. I am excited to be back and appreciate Coach Saban offering me the position."

Before his first stop at Alabama, Napier spent five seasons with the Clemson Tigers, becoming the youngest ever coordinator in the program's history in 2009. The 32-year-old Georgia native also served as recruiting coordinator in Death Valley, helping the Tigers to the No. 2 class in the country in 2008, a haul that included DaQuan Bowers and Andre Ellington.

"He will be a very nice addition to the staff and is a grinder when it comes to recruiting," ESPN senior national recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill said.

Alabama lost a strong recruiter in Groh, who was named the country's top recruiter by Rivals.com and 247Sports. The 41-year-old was instrumental in the Crimson Tide's No. 1-ranked recruiting class in 2012 and 2013. He came to Alabama in 2011 after one season at Louisville coaching quarterbacks. Before that, he spent eight years at Virginia under his father, Al Groh.