The No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide football program is in the early stages of preparing for a Rose Bowl semifinal matchup in the College Football Playoff semifinals against the No. 1 Michigan Wolverines.
In fact, Tuesday is the first day the Tide is spending with Wolverine-specific prep work as the first few days of bowl practice were all focused on the fundamentals.
What's been different about the Tide's return to practice after the Southeastern Conference championship game? There's about a dozen new faces as several members of the class of 2024 have enrolled early and are helping Alabama prepare for its bowl game.
No face is more recognizable than 5-star quarterback from Carlsbad, Calif., Julian Sayin.
Current starting quarterback Jalen Milroe was asked about Sayin on Tuesday and how he's done through the first handful of days with the college experience.
"Yeah, for me, I've been in his shoes, being a freshman, coming into college. All I can try to do is give him the information that I've got and really try to allow him to be a sponge from the information that I have and be a good teammate for him," said Milroe on Tuesday. "With him, he spins the ball really well. It's been really good to have him in the room. To have another guy in the room. With everything I'm just appreciative to have another brother in the room and he's doing a really good job practicing and he's a good dude."
Sayin's not eligible to play in the Rose Bowl but he's arrived early to soak in the college practice style and to learn the Alabama playbook and terminology.
The Crimson Tide completes one week of practice in Tuscaloosa before flying out to California and practicing a second week there before the Rose Bowl.
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