Alabama opened fall camp with a morning practice, for anybody keeping track of every little change from Nick Saban to Kalen DeBoer.
It’s going to be a hot topic for a while, after all.
The Crimson Tide’s first practice Wednesday came a month to the day before DeBoer’s debut Aug. 31 against Western Kentucky. And it was completed before lunch, a departure from Saban’s normal afternoon practices.
It’s hardly the most notable change from life under a coach who added six national championships to Alabama’s coffers. Just one example of the adjustments after 17 seasons under Saban.
DeBoer, meanwhile, is still acclimating to summer Alabama weather after coming from Washington.
“Welcome to the South, for me in particular,” DeBoer said, noting the steamy heat. “It hit us here on Practice One. The guys grinded through it. They kept getting stronger as the day went on, which is what you want to see. They kept their spirits high through the very last rep.”
The defending Southeastern Conference champions returned to work with quarterback Jalen Milroe leading the way, and offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor back in place after briefly transferring to Iowa. The expectations remain the same, even without Saban, though expansion to a 12-team playoff will take some of the pressure off DeBoer’s first season.
The roster’s most talked-about newcomer, freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams, went through his first practice in Tuscaloosa. The five-star prospect, who decommitted after Saban retired from coaching, was brought back into the fold by DeBoer & Co. at a position where reinforcements were needed.
Williams is still a youngster who reclassified to enroll a year early and won’t turn 18 until next February.
“You want every play to be amazing, explosive, but you just want him lining up right, doing the fundamental things, making the easy plays,” DeBoer said. “And then because of his ability the big ones will come. When you’re out there running good routes, catch the ball, accelerate out with good ball security.
“You find those consistent fundamentals and you stack days and those plays we know he is capable of making will happen.”
It’s a storyline throughout a team working with a new coaching staff, even for those who were in the fold for spring practices.
There are transfers who are in the mix for starting jobs, including safety Keon Sabb (Michigan) and Washington imports in center Parker Brailsford and wide receiver Germie Bernard.
First things first: Getting used to morning practices and the need to start getting food and hydration early.
“I think they underestimate just the fuel they’ve got to get in their bodies, which leads to cramping and things like that,” DeBoer said. “So they’ll learn from it. That’s part of this process.”
It’s just a little different from Saban’s much-talked about Process.
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