As far as A-Days go, the 2024 edition used a format that has been used infrequently before – pure offense vs. defense, not two separate squads facing off – and in the end, may have provided more clarity as to the health and depth of the team moving into summer workouts.
The offense won the steak dinner by a score of 34-28, as the defense was awarded points for stops and turnovers. The one turnover the defense managed to force – a Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. interception of Austin Mack – was waved off due to the defense being offsides on the play.
For those who were wanting to see every new wrinkle in the playbook, they wouldn't get it today – not uncommon for A-Day, when schemes are technically vanilla-flavored and the day is more about seeing how players perform in front of a crowd than anything else. But fans did get to see enough to know that this won't be their father's Crimson Tide going forward, especially not offensively.
For our TideFans.com wrap-up, we'll handle it in the same format as our Five-Point Breakdowns that follow regular-season games, except we'll give you a double helping. Here are the things we saw, and that we predict going forward based on those observations.
With National Signing Day officially in the books – even though December's Early Signing Day has eclipsed NSD as the real signing day of note – Kalen DeBoer and his staff can finally begin the work of actually getting its roster into fighting shape for the upcoming 2024 season.
Alabama's 30-day transfer portal period, which kicked into being following Nick Saban's retirement, will be ending soon, and we do not expect to see any further entries. Alabama was hit hard in the days immediately after Saban's departure, but portal entries quickly dried up over the last two weeks, and Alabama was able to add three former Washington players: QB Austin Mack, WR Germie Bernard and C Parker Brailsford.
Still, because of the significant losses to the post-Saban portal – especially a total of eight solely from the ranks of the defensive backs, including three expected starters and four others that were expected to break camp in the two-deep – TideFans.com is bringing you an updated roster analysis. More importantly, this will be our first attempt to project a depth chart using Kalen DeBoer's preferred offensive (Air Raid) and defensive (4-2-5 Swarm) systems.
In 2024, two Alabama news websites, TiderInsider.com and TideFans.com, are partnering in an effort to “FILL THE BOWL” again at Bryant-Denny Stadium for Kalen DeBoer’s first A-Day game as Alabama’s newest head coach.
Help us do our part by committing to attend the Golden Flake A-Day Spring Football Game on Saturday, April 13, for a 3 p.m. kickoff. Admission is free. Bring the family and friends, fill up the car and help us welcome new head coach Kalen DeBoer to Tuscaloosa.
received in his early years at Alabama. Now, Alabama fans have the chance to extend the same level of support to new head coach Kalen DeBoer.
A full Bryant-Denny Stadium at A-Day would again remind the college football world of the commitment of Alabama fans to its coaches, players and program as a whole. Help us once again fill Bryant-Denny Stadium to capacity.
