PRACTICE REPORT: Alabama focused on improving on second day of fall camp
August 4, 2018
A few hundred fans gathered in Bryant-Denny Stadium to observe Alabama football’s second practice session of the fall. Here are our observations from a sweltering, sunny day of practice:
The two players who wore black non-contact jerseys for portions of Friday’s practice, Eyabi Anoma and Nigel Knott, were in red jerseys on Saturday.
We got our first look at the full offensive line practicing together. Like at the spring game, the main alignment consisted of Jonah Williams, Lester Cotton Sr., Ross Pierschbacher, Jedrick Wills Jr. and Alex Leatherwood. They worked on blocking inside zone running plays during the media viewing period.
Two at a time, the inside linebackers reacted to calls and throws from ILB coach Pete Golding. Mack Wilson and Dylan Moses led off the group as expected, followed by Markail Benton and Josh McMillon and Ben Davis and freshman Jaylen Moody.
The safeties and cornerbacks split up: the safeties ran downfield to practice ball skills while the corners practiced short-range coverage. Coach Nick Saban got close to freshman corner Patrick Surtain II, appearing to correct something the freshman had done. Deionte Thompson and Xavier McKinney led the safeties.
Wide receiver coach Josh Gattis corrected receivers’ footwork as they stepped forward rapidly and then turned around abruptly as if practicing comeback routes. The order was switched around as the receivers rotated to different drills, but DeVonta Smith and Jerry Jeudy were routinely the lead pair.
Tight ends coach Jeff Banks did the same thing with his group as Gattis did with the receivers, shouting out corrections to their technique as they ran their routes. Hale Hentges and Irv Smith Jr. were the first two.