First take: Spring practice

When the University of Alabama football practice gate swings open in early November, media roll through knowing that the chances they’ll see anything out of place – anything they haven’t seen the day before, and the day before that – are slim.

First day of spring drills? Media heads are on a swivel.

You can’t look anywhere without seeing something new or different on that day, particularly with 11 new faces on hand. Here are a few thoughts and notes from Day 1:

Dont'a Hightower's progress from knee rehabilitation has been encouraging.

* The best sign of the day for Crimson Tide fans by far was linebacker Dont’a Hightower working in a crimson jersey, signifying clearance for contact. He was limited only by a calf strain. And considering he tore almost everything there is to tear in a knee less than six months ago, it was a definite brow-raiser when coach Nick Saban said post-practice that Hightower will practice “like everybody else” this spring. The standout linebacker may not be turned loose completely in scrimmage work, but it’s clear now that his chances of being fully healthy for the entirety of the 2010 season are very, very strong. For this reporter’s money, Hightower was the second-best player on the entire Alabama defense last season before he was lost for the year against Arkansas. He’s that good. And both his skill and leadership will be desperately needed in a linebacking corps that will surround him with inexperience.

* The Kendall Kelly-to-safety experiment we reported on was on full display. Depth is needed there in a major way, so that comes as no surprise. Kelly is an athlete with more size than people realize. Although he may not be quite as chiseled as Mark Barron, he’s every bit as big. Look for that move to stick.

* The Brandon Gibson-to-DB talk is legit – Saban said the Mobile native would be tried in the secondary at some point this spring. But he was still with receivers on Friday during individual drills.

* Speaking of safety, eligibility questions about Robby Green apparently don’t extend to the practice field. Although Green was absent on Friday, Saban said he should be practicing when the team returns from spring break – but, there is no new news on his eligibility status. It will be interesting to see if Green gets significant practice reps in the spring, at a wide-open position, when there is a chance he won’t be available.

* The opinion here is that it’s not a good sign that Undra Billingsley was back with the defensive linemen Friday. Billingsley spent his redshirt season at defensive end before moving to tight end last year. Switches sometimes work. Switchbacks rarely do.

* Kirby Smart’s move to coaching inside linebackers was an interesting one. After three seasons of working with the secondary, the Crimson Tide’s defensive coordinator replaces James Willis in working with UA’s thumpers in the middle. Makes sense from the standpoint of new coach Jeremy Pruitt’s background – he played defensive back, and much of his coaching background is in working with DBs. Don’t know much about Pruitt? Learn all you need to know about the Tide’s newest coach by clicking here.

Vlachos

* William Vlachos‘ absence from spring drills could bring about a spirited competition at center among veteran David Ross and a few youngsters on the interior line. Hard to get a handle on that competition today, but we’ll keep an eye on that when practice resumes. Another spot to watch is who will emerge as a No. 3 nose guard behind Josh Chapman and Kerry Murphy (assuming those two end up 1-2 in some order). Nick Gentry’s a possibility, as is Darrington Sentimore. Redshirt freshman Brandon Moore has the size to play inside as well, but it remains to be seen how the inside will be settled personnel-wise.

* I wasn’t buying the Michael Bowman-to-tight end talk going around before spring drills, and for the moment, I’m still not. He was working out an abdominal strain during practice Friday, so there was no way to tell if he was slated with tight ends or receivers. But the talk that he’s bulked up to 245-250 pounds, just on the eye test, looks bogus. He’s a big guy, to be sure. But he’s not that big. Nor was Bowman mentioned when Saban ran down a few position experiments. We’ll see.

* Mike Marrow working with the tight ends was an interesting move Friday that wasn’t mentioned by Saban post-practice. The power running back could provide some depth vacated by Billingsley’s move to defense.

* Taylor Pharr, who is expected to get a look at punting at some point this spring, worked with the offensive line as normal Friday.

* Mid-term enrolling freshman Jalston Fowler practicing at linebacker will be an interesting experiment. He was a running back in high school, but linebacker is where he’s needed. He’s big enough, and if you don’t think he’s athletic enough, check this out.

* Grayshirt enrollee Petey Smith didn’t spend the fall sitting on the couch and eating King Dons, that I can promise. The short, stumpy inside linebacker types often carry something of a belly (remember this guy?) but Smith looked to be in excellent shape Friday.

* Check out our video practice report from Friday’s workouts here …

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* Finally, we picked up a few jersey numbers on the new guys Friday. Here’s what I saw:

John Fulton – #10

DeMarcus Milliner – #28

Chad Lindsey – #78

Jalston Fowler – #45

Brandon Lewis – #95

Phillip Sims – #14

Petey Smith – #38

Anthony Orr – #60

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