Tide Coaches Talk True Freshmen After Spring

Tuscaloosa, Ala. - The Crimson Tide wrapped up its spring practice with A-Day on Saturday, where several stars made impressive plays to cap off what Kalen DeBoer said was a good spring practice.

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Several Tide newcomers are already catching the eyes of the Crimson Tide's coaching staff, with offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb opening the floor by talking about true freshman quarterback Keelon Russell.

“Honestly, Keelon exceeded my expectations,” Grubb said. “I think for a young man his age, he never gave into that opportunity. We challenged him with that. ‘Don’t give into I’m a freshman and this and that.’ And he didn’t. I say this all the time to him, and I mean it as the biggest compliment. He reminds me so much of Michael Penix and his demeanor."

“He has such a calm demeanor. Sometimes you need to find the other edge of that and put a little bit of rush on it, but he did a great job. He had a couple days at the end that he wish he’d have played a little bit better, but man, I thought he made huge strides.”

Read More: Ryan Grubb Names Leader in Alabama Quarterback Race 

Russell wasn't the only freshman to receive praise from the Alabama coaching staff on Monday. Head coach Kalen DeBoer highlighted two offensive linemen who have had to adjust on the fly amid the offensive line shuffling this spring.

"The young guys, I think getting thrown in the first - Jackson Lloyd and Michael Carroll - they are gonna be phenomenal football players," DeBoer said. "They have different strengths, they come from opposite ends of the country obviously, but their exposure to different things, they actually were really impressive I think in how far they've come. I'm excited about their futures for sure."

It wasn't all offensive praise, though, with defensive coordinator Kane Wommack talking about freshman safety Ivan Taylor on Monday.

"He's probably one of the best open-field tacklers I've seen as a freshman," Wommack said. "He's come in probably way above average. If he'll continue to strive at the level that he is right now, I see a path for him to contribute."

Alabama is no stranger to seeing freshmen defensive backs thrive, especially under Kalen DeBoer and Kane Wommack last season. Alabama started true freshman Zabien Brown in all 13 games last season, with Jaylen Mbakwe rotating in heavily throughout the year at cornerback, and five-star defensive back Zavier Mincey converting to safety during the season before starting Alabama's bowl game against Michigan at safety.

Another freshman who has made strides in spring practice was five-star cornerback Dijon Lee. Lee was spotted taking first-team reps during Alabama's open practice last Tuesday and ran with the ones again during A-Day.

"I think time will tell, but I think Dijon [Lee] is very much on pace to contribute for us as a freshman," Wommack said, "And that's always impressive to me when you can have a freshman that can compete in the SEC."

The defensive back room is littered with young talent, and Wommack expressed that depth on Monday.

"We have something that we didn't have a year ago, which is depth on the back end," Wommack said. "You're always going to have years where you have to rebuild some of that depth. We just didn't have the depth that we needed to be consistent on the back end."

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.