Alabama Football: Latest News, Injuries and Updates on the Crimson Tide

The Alabama Crimson Tide wrapped up its spring practice schedule with last weekend’s A-Day game—won by the White squad, 24-15, over the Crimson team. 

While there are still over four months between now and their season-opening mega tilt with Michigan in Cowboys Stadium, players will still be working hard through summer workouts and offseason conditioning drills. 

For Nick Saban and his staff, their attention will turn to recruiting as well as making preparations for fall camp beginning in August.

Here is the latest news, injuries and updates on the Crimson Tide.

Underclassmen Shine at A-Day

On a team loaded with young, yet unproven talent, the biggest individual winners during last weekend’s A-Day game came from the freshmen and sophomore classes. 

On offense, a pair of true freshmen who have been on campus for a little over three months—running back T.J. Yeldon and wide receiver Chris Black—found the end zone and accounted for all three of the White team’s offensive touchdowns. 

Defensively, a pair of sophomores—linebacker Adrian Hubbard and safety Vinnie Sunseri—took top billing with dominating efforts that set the stage for both players to have big years in the upcoming season.  

Injuries

The most notable injury concern for Alabama coming out of spring practice is to projected starting running back Eddie Lacy—who sat out the spring recovering from offseason toe surgery.

Another running back—redshirt freshman Blake Sims—missed the spring dealing with a hip injury. 

Despite missing some practice time in leading up to the A-Day game, backup sophomore quarterback Phillip Sims turned heads with his strong performance (135 yards passing, two touchdown tosses). 

Other than a few minor bumps and bruises to Sunseri and seniors Jesse Williams and Robert Lester, the Crimson Tide will head into the summer relatively healthy.  

Crystal Crash

Alabama fans were in a celebratory mood during last weekend’s A-Day game, with the game providing fans their first chance to gather together at Bryant-Denny Stadium to cheer on the defending national champions. 

In an unfortunate accident, the symbol of their latest championship met an untimely demise and ended up scattered into pieces when an unnamed player’s father dropped the crystal football valued at $30,000.

While the Crimson Tide have already announced plans to replace the trophy, news of the accident put a damper on an otherwise exciting weekend in Tuscaloosa.  

Richardson Goes to Prom

In an era where negative headlines rule the day in sports, former Crimson Tide star Trent Richardson stepped up to the plate and warmed the hearts of fans across the nation—and cancer survivor Courtney Alvis.

Richardson escorted Alvis to her prom at Hueytown (Ala.) High School, after she overcame a battle with leukemia and was in danger of missing a day that most teenage girls dream of. 

Kudos to Richardson—whose mother is also fighting cancer—for making a difference and helping Alvis’ dream come true. 

Huge Recruiting Weekend Pays off

A big part of the festivities surrounding last weekend’s A-Day game was the large number of recruits that made their way to Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Saban was able to snag two commitments from a pair of four-star prospects—Woodbury (N.J.) defensive back Anthony Averett and Spanish Fort (Ala.) athlete Deon Johnson.

The two pledges bring Alabama’s 2013 class size to 11 current commitments, and A-Day weekend may prove to be even more fruitful for the Crimson Tide considering the buzz emanating from several other prospects in attendance. 

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