Alabama’s A-Day has always been a statement. But last year, the Crimson Tide didn’t scrimmage inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. Instead, they had an open practice with no live streaming. But this year, Kalen DeBoer is making sure it actually looks like one again. So now, heading into Week 2 of spring camp, he’s flipping the switch.

Alabama is bringing back a full-on scrimmage format for A-Day, set for April 11 at 1 p.m. CT. It’s two hours of real reps and competition. But if you hear what he has to say, this decision is more than just about giving fans a better show.

“We always want to scrimmage and have a great spring game,” Kalen DeBoer said earlier this month. “Last year, we just had two position groups in particular… we wouldn’t have been able to put on a good show. We needed to get something out of the practices. Unfortunately, that was where we were a year ago.”

Now we know why last year’s A-Day was different. Alabama simply wasn’t ready. If you look back at when Nick Saban led the Tide, A-Day practically felt like a real Saturday game with two teams and a scoreboard. But it also had a fun element as winners get to eat steak after the game while losers got beanie-weenies. It’s fun mixed with purpose as players get their shot at earning reps.

Kalen DeBoer’s first spring didn’t quite hit that mark. But this time it’s different. 

“I think we’re in a different spot this year,” he said. “We really haven’t talked about it as a team, we’re really just focused on what’s next. We’d love to get out there and have some fun, practice and get better, scrimmage, that’s kind of the expectation we have for that day. Hopefully nothing crazy happens, but that’s what I would expect for A-Day.”

Gates will open at noon for this year’s A-Day. At 11 a.m., there’s the Walk of Fame ceremony at Denny Chimes, honoring leaders like Ty Simpson, Parker Brailsford, Tim Keenan, and Deontae Lawson. Then the Walk of Champions comes in at 12:45. And then finally comes the part everyone is waiting for, the two-hour football which starts at 1 p.m. This game is set to become the first real chapter in Alabama’s QB race. 

A-Day could sort Kalen DeBoer’s QB dilemma 

Yet again, Alabama has a QB competition after Ty Simpson left for the NFL Draft. Now, Kalen DeBoer is down to two choices. On one side, there’s Austin Mack, the No. 219 recruit in the 2023 class out of Folsom High School. He is familiar with the head coach’s system as he followed him to Tuscaloosa after three years at Washington. 

On the other side of the competition, there’s 5-star, No. 2 overall player in the 2025 class Keelon Russell. Under normal circumstances, he would’ve been the QB1 but Alabama is different because experience still carries weight. Austin Mack has something Russell doesn’t and that’s real snaps. When Simpson went down in the Rose Bowl, he stepped in and saw real game action. But is that enough?

That’s the question Kalen DeBoer has to answer and it might be the most important decision of his Alabama tenure. A 20-8 record looks good almost anywhere but in Tuscaloosa, it’s still not enough. Besides, Alabama is rebuilding new offensive line combinations, new WR targets after losing veterans like Germie Bernard and Josh Cuevas. So right now, everything depends on stability under center. This is why this A-Day scrimmage will be like a live audition between the two QBs.