Alabama Crimson Tide

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- It's officially the homestretch for spring football at the University of Alabama. Just two practices remain before the annual A-Day scrimmage on Saturday, and while a few questions have been answered, many more remain.

We know, for instance, that the passing game is on the verge of becoming even more explosive than it was a season ago and the offensive line is coming along better than expected after losing three of five starters. Beyond that, though, very little is clear. The secondary is thin, the linebacking corps has been depleted by injuries and the process of determining a successor to AJ McCarron at quarterback doesn't appear to be any further along.

And then there's the matter of the team's mental makeup. To say that Nick Saban hasn't been pleased with his team's effort this spring would be an understatement. At every turn, he's urged better focus and aggressiveness from his players. He started off the spring lamenting a turbulent offseason and has followed through by challenging his team to do better in all of his public comments.

Consistency, he explained, is a goal this team has yet to achieve.

"It seems like one day one side of the ball plays pretty well, the next day the next side plays pretty well," he said. "I guess that’s got to be the case when you’re practicing against each other. But, fundamentally, you’d like to see everybody do things the right way, show up in the right place and show the ability to make the plays that we need to make."

After all, Saban understands that if Alabama is to repeat as national champions -- again -- it will take those not named AJ McCarron or C.J. Mosley to step up. Who will be the T.J. Yeldon or Amari Cooper of 2013? The Geno Smith or Denzel Devall who breaks through as a rookie to make an impact?

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Nick Saban was none too pleased with the overall effort of his team on Saturday. Alabama scrimmaged for the first time all spring under a brilliant blue sky, but the picturesque afternoon would only serve as a misleading backdrop for the Crimson Tide.

"We've got a lot of work to do," the 61-year-old head coach said. "We've got a lot of work to do with a lot of guys."

Whatever the excuse -- warmer weather than usual, a lack of conditioning, etc. -- Saban wasn't having it. The mental toughness, he said, wasn't there.

"We need from enough guys to sustain things, pay attention to detail, and do the little things right so we can execute better as a team," he said. "We can make excuses for them in terms of coming back, having three practices after spring break, but if everybody would have done what they were supposed to do over spring break, I don't think we would have some of the issues that we have right now. I'm not necessarily pleased with enough guys."

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Schedule: The Crimson Tide will open spring practice on Saturday and conclude the spring with their annual A-Day spring game on April 20 at 3 p.m. ET in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

What’s new: Former Florida International head coach Mario Cristobal will coach the Alabama offensive line. He replaces Jeff Stoutland, who left to become the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive line coach. Billy Napier is the Crimson Tide’s new receivers coach and replaces Mike Groh, who left to take a job with the Chicago Bears. Also, Greg Brown will replace Jeremy Pruitt as secondary coach. Pruitt left to take the Florida State defensive coordinator’s job.

On the mend: Senior cornerback John Fulton (toe) and senior receiver Kevin Norwood (toe) will be limited this spring. Fulton is recovering from toe surgery.

On the move: Alabama’s deep enough at receiver that receivers Christion Jones and/or Cyrus Jones could get a look at cornerback this spring.

New faces: The Crimson Tide have nine early enrollees who will go through spring practice. Included are two of their most highly rated true freshmen in the 2013 class – running back Derrick Henry and tight end O.J. Howard. Alabama would like to get the 6-6, 235-pound Howard involved in the passing game right away. Junior college newcomer Leon Brown will get a long look at right tackle on the offensive line.

Key battle: With three starters gone in the offensive line, the battle for the right tackle job could be a closely contested one. Junior Austin Shepherd probably enters the spring as the guy to beat, but don’t count out Brown.

Breaking out: There hasn’t been any shortage of marquee cornerback talent to come through Alabama over the last few years, and sophomore Geno Smith looks like he could be the next great one. He’s poised to take Dee Milliner’s spot and saw his role expand as last season progressed. By the end of the season, he was the Tide’s third defensive back on passing downs. Staying in the secondary, look for talented sophomore Landon Collins to make his presence felt at safety. And on offense, sophomore center Ryan Kelly was impressive during pre-bowl practices last December while filling in for the injured Barrett Jones and working with the first unit.

Don’t forget about: Alabama should be as deep and talented at receiver as it’s been under Nick Saban. Sophomore Amari Cooper returns as one of the premier playmakers in the league. But the Tide will also add redshirt freshman Chris Black to the mix, and Black would have played a lot last season had he not injured his shoulder during the preseason. He’s the one who turned heads during the spring game. Norwood isn’t expected to be out there much this spring, but senior Kenny Bell should be back from a broken leg. And there’s also junior DeAndrew White, who missed most of last season with a knee injury.

All eyes on: T.J. Yeldon was sensational last season while sharing time in the Alabama backfield with Eddie Lacy. They became the first two players in Alabama history to both rush for 1,000 yards in the same season. With Lacy leaving early for the NFL draft, Yeldon gets his shot to be the feature back, although Alabama has played multiple backs under Saban. Everybody will be watching the 6-3, 242-pound Henry this spring after he racked up an incredible 4,261 rushing yards as a high school senior. Don’t sleep on junior Jalston Fowler and sophomore Kenyan Drake. How healthy is sophomore Dee Hart after a couple of knee injuries? There’s also more talent on the way this summer when true freshmen Altee Tenpenny, Alvin Kamara and Alvin Jones arrive. The Tide just seem to breed great running backs.

Editor's note: From now until the start of spring camp on March 16, TideNation will count down the 12 most intriguing players to watch on the Alabama football roster. Today we look at tight end/H-back O.J. Howard.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- By now it's no secret that Alabama struggled to gain offensive production from its tight end and H-backs last season. It was a historically low output by Nick Saban's standards, the fewest receptions from the position in five seasons.

The truth is Saban hasn't had a dynamic pass-catcher at Alabama who can also put his hand on the ground and block. Colin Peek, Brad Smelley and Michael Williams performed ably, but not spectacularly. They simply didn't impact the game in the way some more athletic, more talented players can. Jacob Hester was the last playmaking H-back Saban coached, and that was several years ago at LSU. Chris Baker was the last tight end he coached who made much noise at the position, and that was a lifetime ago at Michigan State.

Which brings us to Alabama freshman O.J. Howard, who may be the latest and best hope the Crimson Tide has at capturing lightning in a bottle at the position. The four-star prospect is easily the most high-profile player Saban has signed at the position while at UA. Howard was the No. 2-ranked tight end in the country, according to ESPN, and a top-50 overall prospect in this year's class. Despite missing four weeks of his senior season, he racked up 854 total yards and 12 touchdowns. When you watch his tape -- and there's plenty of it -- it's easy to see why college coaches were tripping over themselves to get to Prattville, Ala., to see him play.

Now that he's on campus in Tuscaloosa as an early enrollee, it's time to see what he can do in the SEC. Because for as good as his tape was and as good as his numbers were, most of it was gained against some rather mediocre competition at the private school level. Unlike some of his teammates, he wasn't facing D-I prospects on a weekly basis. Howard, at 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds, was big enough to play any spot on the field at that level. The fact that he played tight end and forced slower linebackers to cover him was almost unfair.

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Enrolling into college has become a growing trend in college football. Missing prom and Senior Skip Day has become a regular for a lot of high schoolers these days.

In the SEC, getting a high number of early enrollees is becoming more and more of a priority for coaches. This year, all 14 SEC teams had players from their 2013 classes enroll in school early. Georgia leads the SEC with 13, Alabama has nine, and Florida and Texas A&M both have eight. In fact, 73 players from this year's recruiting class enrolled early at SEC schools in this year.

ESPN colleague Travis Haney unveiled his top impact early enrollees from around the country Wednesday, and of his five players who made the cut, three came from the SEC. Well, four, because he said defensive backs Tray Matthews and Reggie Wilkerson would make immediate impacts at Georgia.

Florida running back Kelvin Taylor, who was the nation's No. 1 running back, and Alabama tight end O.J. Howard, who was an ESPN 150 member, also made the list.

Those all make sense. Georgia is basically replacing its entire secondary outside of cornerback Damian Swann, so the Bulldogs will need all the help they can get in the secondary. Florida proved that it could survive -- for the most part -- on a very strong running game last fall, but workhorse Mike Gillislee is gone, so the Gators will need help for Matt Jones and Mack Brown. Taylor is an elusive, physical back who could find himself getting a boatload of carries this fall. And Howard is a real difference-maker at tight end. The Alabama coaches are very excited about his big-play ability and his ability to create a lot of mismatches for defenders.

Haney also gave Tennessee wide receiver Paul Harris the honorable mention nod. Harris comes in at a position of great need, and it will only benefit, well, everyone, having him on campus early.

But what other players who decided to trade in their prom tuxes for shoulder pads could make immediate impacts in the SEC? Glad you asked, because here are some other guys I think you should all keep an eye on:

True freshmen

Christian LaCouture, DL, LSU: With LSU losing starters at both end spots and one at defensive tackle, LaCouture has a chance to get immediate playing time. He can play inside or outside for the Tigers.

Christian Morgan, TE, Ole Miss: The Rebels lost three senior tight ends from last season's team, and the returning players lack experience, so Morgan could step right into a starting spot with a successful spring.

Demarcus Robinson, WR, Florida: The Gators need receiving weapons, and Robinson might be the most versatile of the bunch on campus right now. He's the play-making type this offense desperately needs.

Junior college transfers

Leon Brown, OL, Alabama: Three starting offensive linemen are gone, which means Brown could find himself playing a lot this fall. He could be in line to take the vacant right tackle spot left by D.J. Fluker.

Justin Cox, DB, Mississippi State: Johnthan Banks and Darius Slay are gone, and Cox is already impressing people around the program. Word is he's already one of the fastest guys on the team, and could come in and start immediately at cornerback.

Za'Darius Smith, DE, Kentucky: With all the late movement in UK's class, Smith might have been overlooked, but Mark Stoops is very excited about him. He's been a monster in the weight room and could play right away this fall.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- AJ McCarron was almost giddy when he spoke with ESPN's Tom Rinaldi on the morning of national signing day. Alabama's junior quarterback has won two national championships as a starter, and he broke all kinds of passing records this past season. And despite all he has accomplished, the steely, strong-armed veteran had something to get worked up about, something to look forward to next season.

McCarron wasn't smiling because of the big board of recruits being filled up in the Alabama football offices. He checked out of the recruiting game the minute he signed his own national letter of intent. The quarterback instead went flush when Rinaldi asked what excited him most about the upcoming season.

"My receivers," McCarron answered, laughing nervously. "I look out there and see the explosive guys out wide that can make plays."

McCarron won't lack for options in the passing game in 2013. All of his starters return, including fab freshman Amari Cooper. Cooper, Kevin Norwood and Christion Jones will be joined by a talented group of backups: DeAndrew White, Kenny Bell, Chris Black, Marvin Shinn and Cyrus Jones. Throw in the two wideout prospects and one tight end signed on Wednesday and the list of targets goes up. Robert Foster, the No. 2 receiver in the ESPN 150, and O.J. Howard, the second-ranked tight end/H-back in the country, will make an impact sooner or later.

"We have different types of receivers -- bigger guys, smaller guys that are fast," McCarron told Rinaldi. "It's going to be a fun year for our offense."

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The University of Alabama has utilized more and more true freshmen each year, and it should be no different with the 2013 class. The Crimson Tide already have 21 commitments, including 10 ranked in the ESPN 150. It also doesn’t hurt that nine of them have already enrolled and will compete in spring practice.

Instant-impact recruits

RB Derrick Henry: With Eddie Lacy leaving a year early for the NFL, T.J. Yeldon expects to carry the load at running back next year for Alabama. But who will spell him? Both Jalston Fowler and Dee Hart are coming off major knee injuries, and Kenyan Drake will be just a sophomore. After the season Yeldon put together, don’t count out another true freshman making an impact in the backfield next year.

The Tide expect to sign at least three, possibly four ESPN 150 running backs, but the most physical and ready to play is Henry -- who broke the high school career rushing record. The 6-foot-3, 243-pound could see some time at H-back as well, but expect him to start out as a running back.

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Black Team offense

Quarterback: Christian Hackenberg (Penn State)

Running back: Alvin Kamara

Receiver: Alvin Bailey (Florida), Robert Foster (Alabama), Damore'ea Stringfellow (Washington)

Tight end: O.J. Howard (Alabama)

Offensive tackle: Darius James (Texas), Denver Kirkland

Offensive guard: Grant Hill (Alabama), Joas Aguilar (Texas A&M)

Center: Hunter Bivin (Notre Dame)

Captains: Kelvin Taylor, Hunter Bivin, Robert Nkemdiche, Ben Boulware

Black Team defense

Defensive end: Robert Nkemdiche, Elijah Daniel

Defensive tackle: Greg Gilgmore (LSU), Kennedy Tulimasealii (Hawaii)

Inside linebacker: Ben Boulware (Clemson)

Outside linebacker: Alex Anzalone (Notre Dame), Matthew Thomas

Safety: Keanu Neal (Florida), Leon McQuay III

Cornerback: Vernon Hargreaves III (Florida), Tarean Folston (Notre Dame)

Black Team special teams

Long snapper: Tyler Kluver (Iowa)

Kicker/punter: Sean Covington (UCLA)

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