Alabama football has a new coach and it will also have a new A-Day format.
Kalen DeBoer, who took over for Nick Saban, will coach his first spring game in Tuscaloosa on Saturday (3 p.m. CT, ESPN) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. DeBoer said he views the game as the team’s 15th spring practice.
“We’ll see a lot of great scrimmaging out there, but this is a chance for us to get better,” DeBoer said. “This is a chance for us to take the next step. The chance for us to evaluate as well. Try to really get down to the bare bones of playing some football. Gives us a chance to really also celebrate what we’re doing and where we’re at and enjoy the moment with the fans.”
He said the format will be offense vs. defense. There will not be divided teams. Under Saban, Alabama had Team White vs. Team Crimson. Both sides will be able to score points in the game. The official score will be kept on the sideline.
“Excited to see a packed stadium there,” DeBoer said. “Looking forward to seeing everyone come and support our program.”
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Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men’s basketball. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
