With A-Day over and spring practice coming to an end, media and fans alike are turning our attention to the season ahead.
Before we fully turn our attention to Week 1 in Bryant-Denny, let’s hand out an offensive and defensive MVP for spring ball.
Offense
Year 1 under new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb was up and down, to say the least.
The 31.7 points per game were down last season from the 2024 average of 34.5 under Nick Sheridan, but it wasn’t all bad. The offense notably manufactured 38 points against Wisconsin, 30 against Tennessee, and 27 against a vaunted Oklahoma defense, and it mustered four first-half scoring drives in Athens against Georgia.
Alabama will move on to a new quarterback in 2026 after starter Ty Simpson declared for April’s NFL Draft. The decision between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell is the biggest of head coach Kalen DeBoer’s young tenure in Tuscaloosa.
Mack reportedly had a very good spring but was “dinged up” on A-Day. This opened the door for Russell, and he took it.
Russell completed 21/33 pass attempts for 240 yards and a touchdown during the open scrimmage, earning my Spring Practice Offensive MVP.
Russell is the highest-rated recruit in program history per the 247 Sports recruiting database, a site that began tracking recruits in 2000. He finished over the likes of Heisman winner Bryce Young, wide receiver Julio Jones, running back Najee Harris, cornerback Patrick Surtain, and many more current and past NFL stars.
He is still locked in a battle for the starting job with Mack, but Russell proved in Bryant-Denny Stadium that he has the skill to be the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback and get this offense back on track.
“It feels like you’re playing a video game when 12’s in,” star receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams said.
Coleman-Williams, fellow wideout Derek Meadows and freshman running back Trae’shawn Brown, is another consideration for the spring offensive MVP.
Defense
The defensive MVP was much tougher to give out.
Defensive lineman Steve Mboumoua and linebackers Xavier Griffin, Caleb Woodson, Justin Hill, QB Reese and Luke Metz all had great springs, receiving high praise from the coaching staff throughout.
Despite their great play, the Spring Practice Defensive MVP goes to cornerback Dijon Lee.
The 6-foot-5-inch rising sophomore finished A-Day with three tackles and an interception — the only player to pick off Keelon Russell on the day.
He once again displayed his incredible length and speed, having the job of guarding the top receivers Coleman-Williams and Lotzeir Brooks with projected top corner Zabien Brown out with injury.
“I mean, I just feel like I made a jump everywhere, just every aspect of the game,” Lee said. “Spiritually, mentally, just being able to diagnose plays and stuff like that for sure. So, I just feel like I jumped in every aspect.”
In fact, the whole secondary is beginning to come into form. Transfer safety Carmelo O’Neal is a long 6 feet, 4 inches tall and freshmen Jorden Edmonds and Jireh Edwards stand at a similar 6 feet, t 3 inches tall. Second-year player Ivan Taylor has also received praise, playing in place of an injured Bray Hubbard.
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