Instant Analysis from Alabama's 2026 A-Day Scrimmage

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— There may not have been a final score or official stats, but Saturday afternoon in Bryant-Denny Stadium was a great opportunity for fans and media alike to get their first real look at the 2026 Alabama football team as the Crimson Tide program heads into Year 3 under head coach Kalen DeBoer.

"Good back-and-forth," DeBoer said in his postgame press conference. "Much like we did in the other scrimmages, you can see how we orchestrated with the ball and where we spot it, so there's some advantages for the offense towards the end. We've got to get that red zone work in. There's a lot of things to learn, a lot of situational things we can get better at."

Even though the roster was technically split into a crimson team and a white team, the crimson side was all offense while the white team was all defense, so there was no real way for the white team to score. Alabama somewhat scrimmaged for two hours on Saban Field with drives starting at the 30 for the first few drives before being moved up to the 45-yard line and then ending the scrimmage with every drive starting in the red zone.

Redshirt freshman Keelon Russell had the best day of any of the quarterbacks, but DeBoer said redshirt junior Austin Mack was limited this week and dinged up. He did not sound any closer to naming the starting quarterback after the scrimmage.

It was also a good opportunity to get a first look at the transfers and freshmen. NC State wide receiver transfer Noah Rogers was out there with the first-team offense before suffering a leg injury about halfway through the scrimmage. Rogers could not put weight on his leg and was later carted to the locker room with a brace on his left leg. He will need further evaluation according to DeBoer.

Alabama will wrap up spring practice next week with two more practices in Tuscaloosa before the players scatter for the offseason. The Crimson Tide opens the 2026 season on Sept. 5 against East Carolina.

Watch the above video as Alabama Crimson Tide on SI writers Hunter De Siver, Joe Gaither and Katie Windham share some of their biggest thoughts and takeaways from the Crimson Tide's two-hour scrimmage on Saban Field inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

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