Getty The Tuscaloosa News' Chase Goodbread believes Nick Saban is "dealing with babies" ahead of Alabama's 2023 season
In 2023, Nick Saban coaching Alabama will be akin to “dealing with babies” according to the Tuscaloosa News’ Chase Goodbread — and no, an insult wasn’t meant by that as Goodbread points out, but rather an acknowledgement of Alabama’s inexperience.
“Nick Saban is dealing with babies,” Goodbread prefaced before saying, “Not in the sense of immaturity, necessarily, but from the standpoint of game experience, the Alabama football coach is leading what is almost certainly the most youthful collection of Crimson Tide players to gather for spring practice in his 17 years at UA. That’s right − stack this spring group against all others since Saban’s 2007 arrival, based strictly on time in the fire − and it’s hard to rank it anywhere but the bottom.”
That heightens the stakes of this spring for the Crimson Tide according to Goodbread.
“That can only make this particular round of spring drills more challenging for both players and coaching staff, and make it all the more important, too,” he wrote.
Why Alabama is So Young in 2023 Spring Practice
As Goodbread explains, Alabama is young due to the influx of talent from a historically stacked 2023 cycle — the third highest-ranked class behind Texas A&M’s 2022 class (No. 1) and Saban’s 2021 haul (No. 2).
“Twenty-two players who were still in high school six months ago are getting a jumpstart on their college careers,” Goodbread prefaced before saying, “That’s a Saban-era high, topping the 2017 recruiting class that saw 17 players enroll early. It’s of great benefit to freshmen to do so, and significantly enhances the chance of getting on the field in the fall. But for now, the learning curve is a steep one. Add in four transfers, two from junior college and two from the NCAA transfer portal, and that’s a few more who, while they might be more experienced than high school recruits, are still new to the way things are done at Alabama. Saban himself described the mid-year group last month, 26 in all, as one-third of the spring roster. That’s an awful lot of new faces.”
The lack of experience has led to Saban calling out his Crimson Tide for a lack of leadership during Alabama’s spring practice.
“It’s little wonder that, earlier this spring, Saban said team leadership has yet to be established,” Goodbread wrote.
Advancement What Spring Practice ‘is All About’
Ultimately, Saban turning the third-year players from his No. 2 all-time 2021 class and the incoming freshman from his No. 3 all-time 2023 class into Crimson Tide contributors by September is what spring practice “is all about” according to Goodbread.
“Advancing young players to a place where they can contribute in the fall, of course, is what spring practice is all about,” Goodbread wrote.
That makes the question about the lack of established veterans on the roster less of an issue according to the Tuscaloosa News reporter.
“And by extension, it’s less about veterans,” Goodbread wrote. “Not that every player can’t get better, but there’s a reason why college athletes tend to make their biggest improvements between their first and second years on campus, and in football, spring practice bridges that divide.”