Final Takeaways From Alabama’s 2026 A-Day Scrimmage

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama wrapped up its third scrimmage of spring practice on Saturday afternoon with the Crimson Tide's annual A-Day scrimmage, which lasted roughly two hours inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. Keelon Russell shined, throwing for four touchdowns and completing a big-time pass downfield to freshman wide receiver Cederian Morgan. With the conclusion of A-Day, we've got five final takeaways from the Crimson Tide's spring practice.

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Keelon Russell's Big Day Shouldn't Finalize QB Battle

Redshirt freshman quarterback Keelon Russell was the MVP of the day (Alabama didn't actually award an MVP for A-Day, but if they did, it would've almost certainly gone to Russell) with 220 yards and four scores. Marshall Pritchett, Lotzeir Brooks, Cederian Morgan, and Derek Meadows caught touchdowns from him on Saturday afternoon. Russell flashed the big-play ability with a pair of deep shots to Morgan and even had a few scrambles to avoid pressure. His big day in comparison to Austin Mack comes with a caveat, though, as Mack was "dinged up" according to head coach Kalen DeBoer, and the redshirt junior didn't take any reps after the Tide's first redzone period. Two of Russell's four scores came in redzone with the second team offense. During his two drives with the first-team offense, Russell was intercepted by Dijon Lee Jr. and couldn't punch the next drive into the endzone, resulting in a 31-yard field goal by Conor Talty. Mack's continued status is unknown, but DeBoer said Russell earned more reps with the first team last week due to Mack's injury. Still, based on Saturday afternoon, Russell would be the front-runner for the starting quarterback job. He'll have to build on Saturday's showing and limit turnovers (Russell also fumbled a snap on his first drive of the day, but recovered it and scrambled for a two-yard gain) if he hopes to be named Alabama's starter.

Buy Stock in Alabama's Front Line Defenders

Alabama's defense was playing at a disadvantage on Saturday, with the Crimson Tide's quarterbacks wearing black non-contact jerseys. Despite that, Alabama's front-line defenders had a big day, with Oregon transfer Terrance Green swatting a pass at the goal line and clogging the middle of the defense, causing headaches for Alabama's run game on Saturday. Sophomore linebacker Justin Hill also had two tackles for loss in the scrimmage, and Alabama's inside linebacker trio of Caleb Woodson, QB Reese, and Luke Metz forced second-guessing by the Tide's running backs, resulting in tackles for loss and minimal gains in the run game. A handful of big plays from Alabama's quarterbacks came after would-be sacks by Alabama's blitzing defenders. Despite losing key contributors at both defensive line and linebacker, Alabama had no issues replacing the production during Saturday's scrimmage.

Alabama's Secondary Might Be the Best and Deepest Unit in the Country

We're again going to add the caveat that Alabama's defense was playing at a disadvantage due to the quarterbacks wearing non-contact jerseys, so a handful of the big plays came after would-be sacks by Alabama's defense. However, the Crimson Tide's secondary flashed big-play ability, with Dijon Lee Jr. and Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. hauling in interceptions on Saturday. We saw defensive coordinator Kane Wommack rotate heavily in the secondary on Saturday, much like he does with the Tide's defense during the season. We saw Mercer transfer Carmelo O'Neal start the day with Alabama's first-team defense, and Red Morgan got work at outside cornerback with the first unit as well. Freshman defensive back Jorden Edmonds made big plays, including a pass breakup on Russell, with the second-team defense. The Crimson Tide's secondary looks to be a lockdown unit again in 2026, based on A-Day. Alabama's secondary shone on Saturday without Bray Hubbard or Zabien Brown as well, who both have been limited during spring practice for the Crimson Tide.

Run Game is Trending in the Right Direction, But Still Needs Work

We saw encouraging signs from Alabama's run game, with a few consistent runs from the Crimson Tide, but the rushing attack is far from fixed for the 2026 season, and if you expected it to have a 180-degree turnaround from last year this early, you were sorely mistaken. Alabama turned over 11 new players along the offensive line, is replacing its top rusher from last season, and has a new offensive line coach. Head coach Kalen DeBoer mentioned the Crimson Tide's offensive line is taking strides in the right direction, starting with communication from the center out to the rest of the line, but it's a process. Busted assignments weren't much of an issue for the Crimson Tide on Saturday, but open gaps in the scheme caused negative plays forced by Alabama's linebackers. It's still a work in progress, but the Tide's offensive line is trending toward getting fixed after last season's struggles.

Alabama's Receiving Corps Has Big-Play Potential

Alabama four-star early enrollee wide receiver Cederian Morgan is another player who could have a claim to the Crimson Tide's proverbial A-Day MVP after leading all receivers with over 70 yards and a score on three receptions during Saturday's scrimmage. He caught two deep shots from Keelon Russell, one for the 22-yard score, and made good on his number's legacy at receiver for Alabama. He wasn't the only one who turned in a big performance on Saturday, with Ryan Coleman-Williams catching a deep shot from Austin Mack, Lotzeir Brooks and Rico Scott hauling in a score apiece, and the Tide's running backs churning big receptions from AK Dear and freshman Trae'Shawn Brown. In an Alabama offense that likes to rotate among its skill positions, having a plethora of versatile weapons that can get open with ease and make plays in space will be crucial. Marshall Pritchett also hauled in a score, while Kaleb Edwards had a pair of big-time receptions to help keep Alabama's offense moving. Oklahoma State transfer Josh Ford may not have appeared on the stat sheet, but he was open in the back of the endzone on a rep where Russell couldn't quite get the ball to him in bounds. Notably, on A-Day, drops were at a minimum, which was something the Crimson Tide struggled with last season.

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_.