The news has been slow this evening in the aftermath of Alabama's fourth practice session of fall camp, and for the time being all focus continues to be on Duron Carter. Another day came and went in the transcript saga without reaching a resolution, and moving forward the waiting game continues. Undoubtedly the longer this process takes the more concerned UA supporters will become, and frankly there is legitimate cause for concern even right now. While it may be encouraging to think that Carter's issue is administrative in nature, realistically this is taking a very long time if this is merely just a clerical matter. While we hope for the best moving forward, I'm afraid that there is a distinct impression at this point that this matter could go either way.
Moving forward, Wednesday was tossed about as something of an early deadline for a decision, so that may be a day to keep a particularly close eye on. For the most part, though, this seems to be an open-ended process where a decision could feasibly come at any time. I will say, though, if you see news of Danny Woodson, Jr. reporting to campus, take that as a very bad sign for Carter.
Arie Kouandjio was not with the team earlier this afternoon in the media viewing period, and his availability for today is unknown at this point. Kouandjio suffered some sort of a knee injury late in practice yesterday, and it's conceivable that he may have been held out for today. Regardless, though, Kouandjio's injury is not feared to be serious and should not impact his availability for the upcoming season. Even if Kouandjio missed the practice session today, I would anticipate his return shortly.
Outside of Kouandjio, though, the injury situation seems to be doing well otherwise. Both Eddie Lacy and Brian Vogler shed their black, no-contact jerseys today and participated fully, giving further indication that their injuries will not significantly limit them moving forward. Trent Richardson still has a significant amount of tape on his lower left leg, and likewise Dont'a Hightower had some additional taping on his left hand today after getting dinged yesterday afternoon, but neither injury is thought to be of any real concern moving forward.
In other quick hitters, Cyrus Kouandjio looks to be settling in nicely to the second-team job at left tackle, with Alfred McCullough taking reps inside at guard. A strong surge in fall camp by Kouandjio is probably the only thing that could send Barrett Jones back to right guard. Blake Sims continued to work today at quarterback, tailback, and as a returner. Christion Jones saw time at tailback again today, but he also split out as a wide receiver at times too, and for the time being it's likely that no long-term decision has been made about his position. Adrian Hubbard oozes athleticism and may be a valuable asset as an edge pass rusher, but he's still quite small for a Jack linebacker, and it's hard to see him holding up against the run at the point of attack at only roughly 235 pounds.
Alabama will return to the practice fields tomorrow afternoon, which will be the first practice session of fall camp with hitting in full pads. It has been stated many times recently in this piece that the truth will be told when the pads go on, and expect that to hold true tomorrow. For several young players who look the part, we'll begin to see exactly what chances they have of being meaningful contributors this season starting tomorrow.