Alabama Football 2012: Breaking Down Spring Practice

We are still a good six months away from the 2012 college football regular season kicking off. But spring ball is right around the corner, which for the most part, keeps us occupied for a little while as we patiently wait out this long offseason.

The Alabama Crimson Tide are coming off of their 14th national title and are one of the favorites to win another one next season. They return one of the more talented teams in the country and have an absolutely loaded recruiting class coming in.

We are just days away from spring ball for the Crimson Tide; here is everything you need to know as we inch closer.

Schedule

All dates are subject to change:

March 9

March 19

March 21

March 23

March 24

March 26

March 28

March 30

March 31

April 2

April 4

April 6

April 10

April 12

April 14 Spring Game (will be televised at 2 p.m. CT by CSS)

Offensive Depth Chart

Quarterback: A.J. McCarron, Phillip Sims

Running Back: Eddie Lacy, Jalston Fowler

Wide Receiver: DeAndrew White, Kevin Norwood

Wide Receiver: Kenny Bell, Christian Jones

Tight End: Michael Williams, Brian Volger

Offensive Tackle: Barrett Jones, Cyrus Kouandijo

Offensive Guard: Chance Warmack, Ryan Kelly

Center: Kellen Williams, Barrett Jones

Offensive Guard: Anthony Steen, Isaac Luatua

Offensive Tackle: D.J. Fluker, Austin Shephard

Defensive and Special Teams Depth Chart

Defensive End: Jesse Williams, Quinton Dial

Nose Guard: Jeoffrey Pagan, Brandon Ivory

Defensive End: Damion Square, Ed Stinson

Strong Side Linebacker: Adrian Hubbard, Xzavier Dickson

Middle Linebacker: Trey DePriest, C.J. Mosely

Weak Side Linebacker: Nico Johnson, Jonathan Atchison

Jack Linebacker: C.J. Mosely, Tana Patrick

Cornerback: Dee Milliner, John Futon

Cornerback: Deion Belue, Travell Dixon

Strong Safety: Robert Lester, Vinnie Sunseri

Free Safety: Will Lowery, Ha’Sean Clinton-Dix

Kicker: Jeremy Shelley, Cade Foster

Punter: Cody Mandall

Best Position Battles

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.

Big Man on Campus

I was going to go with quarterback A.J. McCarron in this spot, but I think we all need to see more out of him before I label him the big man on campus.

We've seen what Eddie Lacy can do on a consistent basis at the running back position, as he's averaged over seven yards a carry in his first two seasons.

He's very big and runs with an aggressive style the same way Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson did. The starting spot is now his, and he'll be expected to produce on a much larger scale and help fill in the void that so many Crimson Tide backs have left.

That's what I call the big man on campus, as he'll be the one that helps take the pressure off of the quarterback, not the other way around.

Biggest Shoes to Fill

We talked about the secondary earlier, and they're the ones that have the big shoes to fill, as somebody will try and replace Mark Barron who left for the NFL.

Barron was one of college football's rare elite safeties, as he racked up 231 tackles and intercepted 12 passes in his four-year career.

It will really be up to senior Robert Lester or freshman Vinnie Sunseri to help shape up that secondary that took a hit.

Lester is obviously the favorite, considering he has more experience and had two interceptions along with 39 tackles last year, but it's a tall order to replace someone like Barron. 

Most Important Questions to Answer

Last season was a roller-coaster year for the sophomore quarterback A.J. McCarron, but the majority of it wasn't his fault, as he was handcuffed for much of the season. He only threw the ball 30 or more times three times last year.

As the year went by, he was allowed to throw the ball more and even threw the ball 34 times against LSU in the national championship game. He completed 67 percent of his passes against the Tigers and left Tide fans really wondering if he has what it takes to lead this team.

McCarron has always completed a high percentage of his passes and has really made smart decisions with the football. It just depends on whether the coaching staff is comfortable enough to let him lead this team. 

It's going to be interesting to see if this team is going to continue to be a run-first team or if it'll take the handcuffs off of McCarron like it did in the national championship.

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