Alabama Starts to Gear Up for First Spring Scrimmage

With scrimmage looming Friday, the Crimson Tide worked outside in full pads, in warm conditions

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A few hours after the University of Alabama football program held its second Pro day workout for former players preparing for the 2021 NFL Draft, the Crimson Tide retuned to the practice field. 

The Crimson Tide worked outside and in full pads. 

With a front expected to come through the region, and storms expected Tuesday night and Wednesday, conditions were unusually warm and humid, with the temperature just under 80 degrees. 

Alabama will practice again Thursday.

Because Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban likes to give players and coaches as much of Easter weekend off as possible, the first spring scrimmage will be held this Friday (instead of the usual Saturday).

The scrimmage is closed to media. 

"I think you see potential in guys you start to see after six, seven, eight practices, maybe after the first scrimmage," Saban said last week after being asked about having so many mid-year additions to the team. "If these guys continue to improve and progress, they're going to be able to help us in some regard. You may even be able to see that a guy's got a chance to be a potential starter at some position. 

"But it's not that they're a starter at that point, you just see they have the ability if they progress to be able to do that. We play a ton of freshmen around here in the past, and some of the develop throughout the course of the year and play more in the second half than the first half, but if they can help us win and they can make a contribution to the team, we play them. We've played a lot of freshmen, given a lot of guys a lot of opportunities and for the most part they've done a pretty good job at whatever their role has been. But I think it's way too early to really tell about how that's going to progress at this point."

Alabama's A-Day Game is set for April 17 at Bryant-Denny Stadium (noon kickoff, ESPN).