As usual, we have our weekly roundup of press conferences from the coaches.
Ryan Grubb
“Daniel has been a guy that unfortunately has been a little bit dinged up through the first part of the year. But is
a guy that, I don’t know if there’s a guy we were more optimistic about out of spring ball than Daniel. So we’re hoping that that starts to show up a little bit more here and obviously take some of the load off of Jam (Miller), but he’s a really bright player. I think Daniel is a guy that, I know Daniel is a guy that understands pressure pickups. He’s very good in pass protection. He’s got incredibly good hands. A lot of people probably don’t know that about Daniel, but he’s a good athlete. I mean, he was like a state champion, 300-meter hurdle guy. He’s kind of wild, some of the stuff he can do, so we certainly trust him to do all those things.”
Grubb gave us quite a few interesting responses today, so I definitely encourage you watch the whole press conference. He talked about Michael Carroll getting “very close” to being an every-down player, and he gave some insight on the decision-making between him and DeBoer when it comes to 4th down play calls (and it really sticks out how in-tune the two are).
But I wanted to highlight his above answer about Daniel Hill. This summer, Hill seemed to be getting talked about a lot, and I personally predicted he would wind up being Alabama’s #2 running back and lead the whole room in touches. His pass blocking and pass catching abilities coupled with a 240 pound frame would make him a valuable part of an offense that focused mainly on passing the ball. Well, Hill got about 4 carries in the season opener, then it felt like we never saw him again. Turns out, he may have been injured and is just now getting back in the swing of things. If Hill can find his stride, it might be the single biggest piece of the puzzle to improving Alabama’s squad going forward.
Kane Wommack
Why Did Dijon Lee Play More Snaps Than Domani Jackson?
“We talk about it all the time, right, a body of work and you have to answer for the things that we put on tape and we just felt like what Dijon was doing in the game and as the game was going on, he was operating at a very efficient level and doing his job at an efficient level. What you do in practice and what you do in games ultimately determines the amount of playing time moving forward, and so Dijon’s certainly on a very good trajectory right now.”
Wommack also reiterated what’s become his catchphrase this season: “You have to answer for the things you put on tape.” It’s a simple phrase, but I like how Wommack has incorporated it in a lot of different ways: he first said it when talking about his defense as a whole: when they were busting run fits, he was pointing out that other teams are now going to attack those same weaknesses. But now he’s saying it in response to Dijon Lee taking snaps from Domani Jackson after Jackson has given up most of Alabama’s biggest plays the last two weeks.
To me, what it shows is a coaching staff that is consistent in their approach to fixing issues, and consistent messaging with actions being taken to follow up on things is highly encouraging for the continued improvement of the program.
Kalen DeBoer
On limiting physicality of practice as season goes along…
“I think as the season goes along, you have to continue to keep that in mind, on where is your team at? How is this taking a toll? Right now, I feel we’re always monitoring it, but the pedal is down right now for our guys. And the GPS and all that kind of stuff, there’s other ways that we used to not be able to tell where our guys were at, and I think from a practice habit standpoint, we practice as hard as you can imagine, and there’s proof in that. It isn’t just something that’s just the eyeball test. There’s other pieces to it, as well. But we also have to understand, like with your question, that there are physical games being played on Saturdays. And there are certain guys that it hits different than others. And so that shows up on Tuesday, it shows up on Wednesday.
“A lot of people reading the reps and things like that, and why is this guy, his rep count down? There’s probably a little bit more to that as well that isn’t seen because you’re not in practice, and who’s maybe a little bit hobbled and dinged up, and we’re not making all that stuff known all the time. So I’m just really proud of the way these guys, each week, tomorrow morning. I really feel like I know what I’m gonna get from our guys. I expect a high level of energy. I expect a high level of just effort. And they’ve risen to the occasion every week and haven’t fallen off. And so, that’s a credit to them, that’s a credit to our coaching staff for finding the ways to really keep them on edge, keep them motivated, understand the importance of the work that we put in all day, each and every day.”
Meanwhile, this presser from DeBoer was a pretty uneventful one. I did like this last question from the reporters, and I thought it got DeBoer talking about something a little more unique than normal. His continuation of the response to talk about rep counts and how some players may have their snaps reduced due to being slightly hobbled was just a throwaway line that got me thinking about who it was he was talking about.
Was it Daniel Hill, like Grubb mentioned? Jaeden Roberts, who we finally started seeing a little more last week?Ryan Williams? Who knows for sure who DeBoer was thinking about here, but it’s always fun to compare what we think as fans vs. what might actually be happening behind the scenes.
Chase Goodbread from the Tuscaloosa News also put together a nice article with some of these same quotes, talking specifically about the emergence of Michael Carroll and Dijon Lee as true freshmen who are making an impact on the team.
As Alabama (5-1, 3-0 SEC) prepares to face one of its two archrivals on Saturday (6:30 p.m., ABC), a pair of its 2025 signees — one on offense, one on defense — appear to be on the brink of breaking into the starting lineup. Right tackle Michael Carroll has been playing extensively for weeks, splitting time at the position with veteran Wilkin Formby, who has since seen some action right guard as well. Meanwhile, cornerback Dijon Lee’s playing time has been on the rise of late. Against Missouri, he played significantly more snaps than starter Domani Jackson, and clinched the victory with his first career interception.
For what it’s worth, I’d also like to throw in London Simmons and Lotzier Brooks as guys who have really stepped up this year and represent the future of the Tide.
We also quietly got an update from the SEC on the TV schedule the next couple of weeks.
Alabama will be kicking off against Tennessee next week on ABC at the 6:30 CT evening time slot, then the following week will be back on ABC against South Carolina in the 2:30 prime time slot.
Finally, here’s the weekly installment of SEC Shorts. Enjoy!
