Alabama football: Names to watch at “A Day”


Happy Thursday, everyone. The big news of yesterday was Jarin Stevenson’s trip to the transfer portal.

If a player enters the portal with a “do not contact” or “DNC” tag, it means that a player only wants opposing coaches and schools to reach out if they initiate contact first.

Hitting the transfer portal with a “do not contact” tag could also mean that Stevenson already has a landing spot in mind, and isn’t interested in hearing from any other takers.

Coming out of high school, Stevenson graduated a year early after reclassifying to the 2023 recruiting class. Alabama, his mother’s alma mater, North Carolina and Virginia were among Stevenson’s top three college destinations.

If Stevenson doesn’t end up at UNC, it will be somewhat surprising. There were rumblings that NC State could also be a possibility, but either way he will be close to home. This offers some hope that Derrion Reid may be sticking around, but we’ll see on that, and we anxiously await word from Labaron Philon.

Lotzeir Brooks has been getting a bunch of buzz this spring, and these clips offer some insight.

Adding him to Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard, with a stud big receiver as well in Isaiah Horton, has a chance to be lethal.

Michael Carroll is another to watch on Saturday, if you plan to make the trip to Tuscaloosa to watch an untelevised practice.

Michael Carroll may be the most talked about freshman of the spring on offense outside of Keelon Russell.

While Carroll came to the Crimson Tide as a former five-star guard out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, Alabama has been using the freshman’s 6-foot-6, 315-pound frame to its advantage, giving him practice reps at tackle along with both guard spots.

Alabama does not have much depth behind presumed starters Formby and Kadyn Proctor, who’s been limited this spring with an injury. Olaus Alinen, who was primarily a guard, and Ball State transfer Arkel Anugwom seem to be the only cushion between Alabama and its 2025 freshman class that includes Jackson Lloyd and Micah DeBose out wide.

Where Carroll lines up Saturday could be an indicator of a long-term development plan for a talented freshman who could be one of the first members of the 2025 class to see the field this fall.

Greg McElroy believes that QB is a two horse race for now, as Keelon Russell isn’t really competing for the starting spot at this stage.

“And by the way, the gap’s to be expected,” McElroy continued. “I think a lot of people have panicked. Bryce Young didn’t start as a true freshman. Arch Manning didn’t start as a true freshman. A lot of guys didn’t start as true freshmen. It’s okay. Like, I think if you really want national championship aspirations, having a true freshman as your starting quarterback is not really an advantage, to be honest with you. So, I just am curious to see what kind of control do they have? How does the offense operate? How is the ball placement? All of those things are what I’ll be most intrigued by watching the quarterback spot.”

Russell bumped up to five-star status during the July Top247 update shortly after his commitment flip from SMU to Alabama. The National Gatorade Player of the Year and MaxPreps All-American posted a 13-1 record as a senior at Duncanville, leading the Panthers to a semifinals appearance in the Texas 6A Division I playoffs. He completed 238 of 343 passes (66.7%) for 4,177 yards with 55 touchdowns and four interceptions, adding 321 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground while averaging 9.7 yards per carry.

Last, poor Chase Goodbread is delusional.

If there’s any sign that 2025 is just a blip on the radar, it’s that the reasons cited for cancellations vary wildly across the board. At FSU, it’s stadium renovations, which is temporary ground to stand on. At Nebraska, coach Matt Ruhle cited an unwillingness help rivals decide which Huskers to pursue in the NCAA spring transfer portal, a 10-day period which happens to fall later this month. At Texas, coach Steve Sarkisian explained scrapping the Longhorns spring game by citing the general wear and tear of playing 16 games last year on the way to a national championship game appearance. But neither the Longhorns nor any other program will play that many games on a consistent basis. As to Southern Cal’s spring game cancellation, a Trojans source told ESPN: “The biggest purpose that a spring game actually serves now is a fan engagement tool, and we just think we can engage fans in a better way.”

They ain’t coming back, Chase.

That’s about it for now. Have a great day.

Roll Tide.

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