Tuscaloosa Mayor believes city does not want Alabama football to have A-Day

After Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer adjusted the spring game format this past season, more questions are likely on the horizon for A-Day.

One of them being if it should even happen at all.

At least that’s the question Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox pondered when speaking with the Tuscaloosa News on Thursday. Maddox shared that due to rising security concerns, he believes that it may be better for the Crimson Tide to discontinue the annual tradition.

“From the city, standpoint, I can’t believe it. Twenty years ago, if you would have asked me, ‘Would you want to have A-Day?’ I’d say, ‘Yes,'” Maddox said. “Today, I would say, with all the things that come now surrounding it, I think it’s better for us not to have A-Day and focus on the UA-generated events that don’t require so much security personnel and other logistical support.

This past year, A-Day operated in an open practice format which cut down fan turnout from roughly 72,000 attending DeBoer’s first A-Day to the estimated 10,000 to 15,000 fans who attended in 2025.

“It’ll be interesting to see the evolution of A-Day,” Maddox said. “I don’t know any information, but I don’t think A-Day will ever exist again, at least over the next 10 to 20 years, the way it has in the past.”

A-Day is not the only spring game being modified by its program as Ohio State, Texas, USC, Oklahoma, NC State, Nebraska and Florida State all made changes to each ones games as well.

DeBoer cited that the changes would allow the team operate in a more controlled environment which was at the core of the decision.

“We’ll have more of a practice, a full practice like we would have any other day,” DeBoer said back in March. “It allows us to kind of have a controlled setting, control the reps that certain guys get. We understand the significance. Everyone loves football here. We want to give that day and make it available, show off our guys, go do their thing.”