Alabama Football Spring Practice Schedule 2012: 5 Pressing Issues

The 2011 college football season may have just ended, but that doesn't mean that the players and coaches go sit on the couch for seven months. No, first it was the recruiting process, and now it's time to begin preparing for spring practices.

These practices are extremely important, as it will help the coaches answer questions and help them put together their depth chart for the upcoming season. This is also a chance for the younger players to prove themselves and earn more playing time than they probably would have normally received.

Alabama's spring practice has yet to be scheduled, but their spring game does take place on April 14th.

Here are five things we should be paying attention to when these events take place.

Can AJ McCarron Really Take That Next Step in His Career?

Remember when McCarron wasn't really called upon to make plays for this offense?

He only threw more than 30 times twice in the regular season and was used very carefully by Nick Saban and company all season long.

But in the BCS National Championship, the Crimson Tide really took off the handcuffs and let the sophomore quarterback throw the ball.

He threw the ball a total of 34 times, which was the most in his career, and completed a solid 67 percent of his passes against one of the top defenses in the country in LSU.

He actually looked like a real quarterback and somebody you'd feel confident with heading into the New Year.

Can he keep it up?

Will Eddie Lacy Be Prepared to Become the Workhorse?

Alabama had one of the most talented backs in the country in Trent Richardson, but with him heading to the NFL, it opens the door for Eddie Lacy.

Lacy is an extremely talented back and is more than capable of replacing Richardson.

But he is also a back that's never carried the ball more than 100 times a season.

With an offense that is usually run-first, Lacy will likely see carries more than 200 times.

That's a big jump in one year, regardless of how talented that player happens to be.

The workload has expanded for the junior running back—hopefully he'll be more than ready to handle it all.

Can We See Dee Hart, Pretty Please?

Speaking of running backs, the Crimson Tide has a 5-star prospect in Dee Hart who wasn't able to play last season because he tore his ACL. Well, he's back and ready to go, as you can see here.

Hart is a back who has excellent field vision and makes defenders miss with ease.

He's a playmaker and can even line up at receiver, as he has fantastic hands.

With his health, he could become the X-factor for the Tide this season and will be extremely fun to watch leading up to opening day.

Keep your eye on this kid, because he's very special.

New-Look Secondary

The Crimson Tide defense is going to look very different, as it only returns five starters on that side of the ball.

Cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick is the key player to leave, as he was a shutdown corner.

Safety Mark Barron and DeQuan Menzie are also two big losses in the Crimson Tide secondary.

This means that safety Robert Lester will now have to be the leader of this squad, and John Fulton and Dee Milliner will likely become the starters at cornerback.

Even young safety Vinnie Sunseri, who finished last year with 30 tackles, will probably see an expanded role as well.

It's going to be fun to see how this group of players works out for the defending national champs.

Linebacker

It's no secret what the weakness is going to be for the Crimson Tide this season, as they lost two key linebackers in Dont'a Hightower and Courtney Upshaw.

That's two of the top three leading tacklers and sack leaders from last season.

Crimson Tide fans shouldn't jump out the window quite yet—there is still tons of talent on this roster—but losing two key pieces is going to take time to get used to.

It's going to be the most important part of the offseason to see who steps up and is able to replace those two players. Everyone from senior Nico Johnson to new recruit Reggie Ragland will be battling it out for playing time.

Randy Chambers is a B/R featured columnist that covers college football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail].