Wet weather forced Alabama back inside the indoor practice facility for the next to last practice of the spring period.

The secondary defense continues to take shape, with Landon Collins and Geno Smith playing left and right safety, respectively. Bradley Sylve and Cyrus Jones were the cornerbacks in that set, while Trey DePriest and Reggie Ragland took reps at linebacker. Jarrick Williams played the star position, a role he says he’s growing into well.

“I feel natural at star,” Williams said. “I like star more than safety, but it don’t matter. I’ll play anywhere.”

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Early-enrollee freshman Tony Brown continued to practice with the apparent second unit, running at cornerback.

“Tony’s gonna be great,” Williams said. “There’s just a lot of stuff he can improve on and stuff he’s got to learn. He’s going to be great when he gets it all.”

Sophomore wide receiver Chris Black also said Brown is full of potential.

“Tony’s really good,” Black said. “He’s got good speed.”

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Williams said Brown is one of many young players working hard after Eddie Jackson went down for the spring with a torn ACL.

“There’s a lot of guys stepping up, asking questions, trying to learn and everybody’s just trying to be on the same page so we can be a great group as one,” Williams said.

The offense is also beginning to gel, Black said.

“We’ve built a lot of chemistry,” Black said. “To me it looks good. We’ve still got a lot to improve on, but as far as right now, I think we’ve done a pretty good job this spring.”

Key in that growth has been the improvement of quarterback Blake Sims.

“Blake has made a big step up from last year to now, especially taking on that role as starting quarterback,” Black said. “He’s done a really good job. … He’s pretty accurate.”

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Coach Greg Schiano was on hand to watch practice. He was let go in December after a 4-12 season. Schiano, who coached defensive backs for Penn State and the Chicago Bears, was defensive coordinator for Miami and head coach of Rutgers University for 11 years, watched defensive drills from the sideline.

Jalston Fowler and Corey McCarron both took reps as fullback in the I formation, under Lane Kiffin’s watchful eye. McCarron spent last season at tight end, but has moved to fullback.

Brown is still wearing a brace on his left shoulder, from an injury he sustained during track last week.

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