Initial takeaways from Alabama football’s A-Day game

Alabama football completed its annual spring game, A-Day on Saban Field in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday.

Here are some initial takeaways from the spring scrimmage:

Keelon Russell is coming into his own

Keelon Russell had himself a day in the Crimson Tide’s spring scrimmage, finishing the scrimmage with four passing touchdowns. He made plays with his arm and his feet throughout the day, showing he is set to compete for Alabama’s next starting quarterback spot throughout the summer and into the fall. He put on display what many feel his potential could be in Tuscaloosa.

Quarterback Battle In The Air

While Russell did have a great day in the scrimmage, Austin Mack did flash while being what Kalen DeBoer described as dinged up during the Tide’s A-Day scrimmage. DeBoer said Mack was limited and had to sit was late in the scrimmage during the red-zone period. He threw a touchdown to Rico Scott in the back of the end zone before leaving the field. He showed he is not afraid to sling it for sure. Unfortunately, it did lead to him throwing an interception on a deep ball, but it also led him to finding Ryan Coleman-Williams on a deep ball for a completion. The quarterback battle looks to be in the air after spring practice.

Freshmen To Watch

Multiple freshmen players stood out during the scrimmage. Jireh Edwards, Xavier Griffin, Trae’shawn Brown, Jorden Edmonds and Cederian Morgan made their presence felt. Edwards lined up at multiple spots within the Tide’s defense. There were some snaps where he lined up inside the box at the linebacker level. He blitzed quite often and showed his ability to flow to the football all over the field. Griffin put pressure on the quarterback while rushing from the edge and made plays while playing off-the-ball at linebacker. Brown was making defenders miss and look silly during the scrimmage in open space at running back. Edmonds stood out in coverage at cornerback with his length. Morgan showed why he was one of the most consistent catchers of the football Touchdown Alabama had ever evaluated on Saturday. He caught everything thrown his way including a touchdown reception.

Run Game Flashes

Alabama football’s rushing attack was not dominant by any stretch of the imagination, but the Crimson Tide’s running backs did flash some promise. Hill’s initial burst looks more explosive after dropping some weight. Brown is showing promise, Riley looks bigger but still is explosive and AK Dear looks to have improved upon his ability to catch the football out of the backfield. The offensive line was effective at opening some nice holes in a few moments.

Kicker Battle Is Tight

Lorcan Quinn and Conor Talty are competing to be the Crimson Tide’s starting kicker in 2026. Quinn made all his field goal attempts, while Talty missed one wide. Talty started at kicker for Alabama in 2025. Quinn transferred to the Crimson Tide from Marshall after last season. Quinn is going to push Talty here with the Marshall transfer having some momentum.

Kane Wommack Going To Continue To Rotate Talented Defense

A long list of defenders flashed in this one. Alabama’s defensive coordinator Kane Wommack likes to rotate on a frequent basis, and he will look to have a lot of talent at his disposal. It is safe to bet on the Tide’s defensive rotation being deep in the fall.