Nine Power 4 Schools Take the Field Saturday, and Alabama's Got Some Real Questions to Answer

Spring game season is officially here, and if you're looking for some football action this Saturday, April 11, you're in luck. Nine Power 4 schools are suiting up, and the SEC is stealing most of the attention with four games on the slate. This is where we start to see which teams actually built something in the offseason and which ones are just hoping to paper over some cracks.

Alabama Has Work to Do Under DeBoer

Let's start with Alabama, kicking off at 2 p.m. ET. After back-to-back rough years to start his tenure, Kalen DeBoer is facing some real pressure. The Tide got absolutely worked in two of their last three games last year, getting pummeled 28-7 by Georgia in the SEC championship and then embarrassed 38-3 by Indiana in a CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl. That kind of damage doesn't just heal itself.

The problems were obvious: Alabama ranked 125th in rushing with just 104.1 yards per game and 111th in sacks allowed at 2.13 per game. It was bad enough that DeBoer had to fire offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic. The spring game is a chance to see if new pieces can fix what was broken.

What to Watch for Saturday

Alabama's got some interesting returning talent to build around. WR Ryan Coleman-Williams hauled in 49 catches for 689 yards and 4 TDs last year. The secondary has weapons too: DB Bray Hubbard with four INTs, 79 tackles, and 4.5 TFLs, plus DB Keon Sabb and DB Zabien Brown bringing experience. LB Yhonzae Pierre was all over the field with 52 tackles, 14.5 TFLs, and 8.0 sacks.

The Tide also loaded up through the portal and recruiting. New defensive linemen like Devan Thompkins (31 tackles, 6.5 TFLs from USC) and Terrance Green (15 tackles, 1.0 TFLs from Oregon) are here to strengthen that line. On offense, they added WR Noah Rogers who put up 441 receiving yards and 2 TDs at NC State.

And there's a quarterback battle brewing between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell that's worth monitoring.

The SEC is also running three other spring games Saturday, so the conference will own most of the college football conversation. Florida's got a new head coach in Jon Sumrall making his debut of sorts, which should be interesting. If you're into evaluating talent and seeing where teams actually stand, Saturday's your day.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.