Tag Archives: Harrison Jones

Football Practice Report: April 3, 2013

Posted on April 3, 2013 by | Comments Off
image

Wide receiver DeAndrew White (left, black jersey) waits for his turn in drills after Kenny Bell (right). Copyright photo by Brett Hudson.

A late afternoon rain shower forced the Crimson Tide inside the Hank Crisp Practice Facility next door to the brand new weight room for its Wednesday practice. Here is the news:

- Amari Cooper is leading the wide receiver in drills. He is followed up by DeAndrew White who seems to be running fine after tearing his ACL last season. Chris Black is third coming back from his shoulder injury, while Kenny Bell is fourth and true freshman Raheem Falkins is fifth, before the scout team comes in from there.

Alabama does have Eddie Jackson and Robert Foster coming in for the fall as true freshmen.

- The drills also revealed some depth chart decisions made the the tight end and H-Back positions. Brian Vogler as the starting tight end alongside Harrison Jones as the first H-Back. Tight end Malcolm Faciane practiced with H-Back O.J. Howard as the second team and on the third team was tight end Kurt Freitag alongside H-Back Corey McCarron.

- Contact seems to be picking up in preparation for the first spring scrimmage, as we saw the outside linebackers go to battle with the tight ends and H-Backs in some rough blocking drills today.

- Cornerback John Fulton was off the exercise bike and doing some light running drills in his first practice activity after injuring his toe against Texas A&M last season. He was not doing much, but he was moving. You can see video of that below.

Kevin Norwood, also trying to come back from a toe injury, is still out of practice.

- The wide receivers were doing a jump ball drill today, which I have never seen them do before. That could be something new wide recivers coach Billy Napier brought from Florida State. You can also see that drill in the video below.

Comments Off

Posted in football, practice, spring practice

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Freshman turning heads in suit of Michael Williams’ replacement

Posted on April 2, 2013 by | Comments Off

As a program that has lost more players to the first round of the NFL Draft than an entire conference (the ACC), Alabama is no stranger to losing highly-rated talent.

That trend has recently centered itself around the tight end position, as former Alabama tight end Preston Dial was nice enough to point out as he was watching the Senior Bowl.

The Crimson Tide has to pull this stunt yet again as it has lost Michael Williams at the position, a two-year starter that caught a career-high 24 passes in 2012 for 183 yards and four touchdowns.

Now a corps led by versatile tight end/H-Back Brian Vogler will try to fill the void.

“The thing about Mike was he was consistent, he was very reliable and that’s something all of us want to prove to the coaches; we’re consistent, we’re reliable, we can do the things that Mike did,” Vogler said. “Honestly we’re trying not to say so much about Mike so we can work toward these news guys in the future and see what all we can do collaborating our skill sets.”

Vogler, who provided relief for Kelly Johnson as the H-Back last season, said he has been working more as a tight end in spring to fill in for Johnson, leaving the H-Back position open for players like Harrison Jones and Malcolm Faciane.

But don’t forget true freshman O.J. Howard. The in-state product ranked by many as the best tight end in the 2013 class, enrolled early and has been turning heads in his first spring practices as a collegiate football player.

“He’s a whole new dimension to this offense,” Vogler said. “He’s very long, very athletic, very fast. He’s learning very fast and he takes teaching, which I think really says a lot about his character as a player. He’s making progress and I think he’ll be a viable offense to our offense.”

The gunslinger of the offense, AJ McCarron, known to lean on the tight end from time-to-time, is looking for a balanced player at the position.

“It doesn’t matter who is there. We’ve got to have a guy who can block and be a (pass receiver) at the same time,” McCarron said. “We’ve got a bunch of guys rotating in at that position. We’ve got to keep progressing and having them bond with the O-line and bond with the rest of the passing game – learn timing and routes and stuff like that.”

Comments Off

Posted in football, practice, spring practice

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

Spring Football Practice Report: March 22, 2013

Posted on March 22, 2013 by | Comments Off

Alabama quarterbacks Blake Sims (6) and AJ McCarron (10) practice in the final Alabama football spring practice before spring break. (Copyright photo by Brett Hudson)

Alabama quarterbacks Blake Sims (6) and AJ McCarron (10) practice in the final Alabama football spring practice before spring break. (Copyright photo by Brett Hudson)

The Crimson Tide suited up for the first time under new Athletic Director Bill Battle just a few hours after his introduction, with Battle in attendance, to continue spring practice. This was the Tide’s final practice before spring break.

Here is the news:

– In a surprising twist (to me, at least), cornerback Bradley Sylve was practicing alongside returning starter Deion Belue, relegating Geno Smith to the second team in individual drills alongside Jabriel Washington. No word on if this is a permanent thing, but it is an interesting development at the very at least.

– In the tight end/H-Back rotation, Brian Vogler was leading the pack alongside Malcolm Faciane. It appeared that Harrison Jones and true freshman O.J. Howard were leading the second-team while Corey McCarron tries to fight his way into the rotation. The five have yet to be assigned to either the tight end of H-Back position for the fall, so no depth chart decisions can be made until those positions are relegated.

– This practice was the first time I have seen John Fulton without a protective boot on his foot as he nurses his toe injury. Both Fulton and wide receiver Kevin Norwood are trying to come back from toe injuries in time for some spring practice before A-Day. Norwood was still in crutches.

– Backup quarterback Blake Sims was practicing fully after doing nothing but spectating as recently as Monday. Why he was as inactive as he was on Monday in unknown, but he seems to be back to practicing normally.

– Wide receiver Christion Jones and running back Dee Hart continue to practice with the defensive backs.

– In the video below, you can see new Athletic Director Bill Battle attending practice, plus the running backs, defensive backs, quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends going through drills.

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Countdown to Spring Football: Tight Ends/H-Backs Breakdown

Posted on March 11, 2013 by | Comments Off
Michael Williams capped off his career in the crimson and white by catching a touchdown in the Senior Bowl. (AP photo)

Michael Williams capped off his career in the crimson and white by catching a touchdown in the Senior Bowl. (AP photo)

Daily Bama Blog correspondent Brett Hudson, like he did for the BCS National Championship Game against Notre Dame, will count you down to the beginning of spring practice with another series. Each day, Brett will break down a different position group going into spring practice until the beginning of practice on March 16. Here is the schedule.
Today: Quarterbacks (click here to read it)
Tomorrow: Running backs (click here to read it)
Saturday: Wide receivers (click here to read it)
Sunday: Tight ends/H-Backs
Monday: Offensive Line
Tuesday: Defensive Line
Wednesday: Linebackers/Pro Day
March 14: Cornerbacks
March 15: Safeties
March 16: Opening day of spring practice

Since the beginning of the Jim McElwain era in Tuscaloosa, the tight end and the H-Back have been staples of the Crimson Tide offense. Brad Smelley had more receiving yards than all but Marquise Maze on the 2011 national championship team.

Alabama has to find another threat at the position after losing both Michael Williams and Kelly Johnson after the 2012 BCS National Championship Game. Williams caught 24 passes, fourth on the team, for 183 yards and four touchdowns while Johnson added five catches for 39 yards.

However, Alabama will have two juniors and a redshirt sophomore battling for the two spots in spring training. Brian Vogler played in all 14 games, mostly using his 6-foot-7, 258 lbs frame to run block, but did catch two passes for 21 yards.

Harrison Jones, the younger brother of former offensive lineman Barrett and older brother of upcoming freshman linebacker Walker, played in 10 games as a sophomore but did not catch a pass. Neither did Malcolm Faciane, the redshirt sophomore in the group, who played in seven games this season.

The Tide has one freshman already on campus at this position, former Autauga Academy standout O.J. Howard. Howard (freshman year highlights), 6-foot-6, 235 pounds, said he would not mind playing both tight end and H-Back.

Breakdown: Two juniors (Jones and Vogler), one redshirt sophomore (Faciane) and one true freshman (Howard), plus walk-ons.

Prediction: The frames on both Vogler and Howard make them appealing options, but Jones has the family smarts that make him a viable option with a year in the new system under his belt. It is tough to go wrong with any option, so this spring could see the tight end/H-Back battles be the most hotly-contested on the offensive side of the ball.

In the end, Howard will certainly get his fair share of chances, and seeing him in a rotation with Vogler and Jones would not be surprising.

Comments Off

Posted in spring practice

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Alabama’s class now at 23 officially

Posted on February 6, 2013 by | Comments Off

Alabama now has 23 members of its signing class, as five-star linebacker Reuben Foster has faxed in his scholarship papers.

Foster is the consensus top-rated linebacker in the country and stands 6-foot-1 and 240 pounds. He created controversy by committing to Alabama, then switching to Auburn in July 2012, getting an Auburn tattoo, then announcing Monday he was committing to Alabama.

Either way, Alabama is getting a good linebacker.

Also, Walker Jones – brother of former Tide All-America lineman Barrett Jones and current Tide tight end Harrison Jones – has turned in his papers, too.

There still are three players out there who are Tide targets. Defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson of Fort Worth, Texas, reportedly has told Texas and Alabama coaches he will sign with the Crimson Tide. His official announcement comes later today.

Running back Alvin Kamara of Norcross (Ga.) High will pick between Alabama and Georgia and is slated to announce his choice on ESPNU at 2:30 p.m.

Defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes of Placer High in Auburn, Calif., has an announcement scheduled for this evening.

Also find and follow The Daily Bama Blog on:
Twitter: @DailyEdwards
Facebook: Facebook.com/dailybamablog

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , ,

Practice report from Alabama’s workout Friday

Posted on January 4, 2013 by | Comments Off

MIAMI SHORES, Florida — Alabama starting center Barrett Jones went through another practice today, as the Crimson Tide worked out in Barry University’s soccer stadium.

After missing about a month because of an injured left foot, Jones has practiced four straight days, and the way he’s moving around, it’s hard to tell which foot is the problem. The only sign is the protective wrap.

Jones said Thursday he would be close to 100 percent by kickoff for the BCS National Championship Game on Monday night, and judging from the way he is practicing, there’s little reason to doubt him.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban allowed reporters inside the gates for about 16 minutes today, and it’s the final time this season media will be allowed to watch any portion of practice. The Crimson Tide worked out in helmets, shoulder pads and shorts.

The Crimson Tide has a closed practice scheduled for Saturday at Barry University before a walk-through Sunday.

Also today, injured receiver Kenny Bell ran and cut back and forth just fine as he recovers from a broken leg, which needed surgery Nov. 25. After making one catch, he playfully dodged one of his coaches by cutting one way, then the other, then back to his original direction.

However, he still is wearing a black non-contact jersey, which makes it uncertain he will play Monday. If he does, it would add perhaps Alabama’s best deep threat back into the lineup.

Freshman linebacker Denzel Devall, who injured his knee Dec. 19, went through all drills today. He was cleared for contact before Alabama came to South Florida two days ago, and he appears ready to go.

Alabama tight end Harrison Jones rejoined the team today. When the Crimson Tide flew down to Miami on Wednesday, Jones was left behind for what Saban called “medical reasons.”

During the media viewing period, Alabama worked on punting, which the Tide usually doesn’t do with reporters inside the gates. Cyrus Jones, walk-on Nathan McAllister and true freshman Chris Black returned punts. Black is sitting out this season with an injured shoulder, but it should be interesting to see how he stacks up as a possible punt returner next season.

Former Alabama All-America center Dwight Stephenson watched practice. When Alabama last repeated as national champions in 1978 and 1979, he started both years. His son, Dwight Stephenson Jr., played for Notre Dame during 2003-07.

Also find and follow The Daily Bama Blog on:
Twitter: @DailyEdwards
Facebook: Facebook.com/dailybamablog

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , ,

Thoughts from Thursday’s practice

Posted on August 9, 2012 by | Comments Off

Nick Saban allowed reporters through the gates for two periods of today’s Alabama football practice. That’s a total of fewer than 20 minutes that we’re watching. As always, we appreciate the consideration, but realize that any observations I give are based on that small window.

I spent much of my time watching the receivers and tight ends and a little bit of the defensive backs, mostly to watch Saban teach his group. The defensive backs get the lion’s share of his attention during individual position drills.

–Wide receiver DeAndew White can make some amazing catches at times. Last night, I saw him make a one-handed grab of a rare AJ McCarron mis-fire. Saban always preaches consistency, and if White finds that, he’ll be something special. Also, he’s only a sophomore, so he has time.

–True freshman Eddie Williams and redshirt freshman Marvin Shinn made some nice grabs as we watched.

–Michael Williams will be Alabama’s starting tight end, and at 6-foot-6 and 269 pounds, he provides a nice, big target who also can block. But as far as the other tight end spot, which often lines up in the backfield as an H-back, Harrison Jones and Brent Calloway are doing some good things.

–It must be a mixed blessing to be a defensive back at Alabama. Unlike the other positions, you’ve got the head coach over your shoulder even during the most mundane drills. That’s the bad part. Here’s the good part: Unlike the other positions, you’ve got the head coach over your shoulder even during the most mundane drills. Consider that three of last year’s starting defensive backs were taken in the NFL draft, you have to think that any recruit who wants to play professionally in the secondary is thinking about Saban’s impact.

Here is some more practice video. It’s a small taste of Saban working with his defensive backs. If you want to criticize the person shooting it, I certainly don’t blame you. (I’m the one who shot it.):

Also find and follow The Daily Bama Blog on:
Twitter: @DailyEdwards
Facebook: Facebook.com/dailybamablog

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , ,