2014 Alabama Spring Football Report: Practice #11

This is starting to sound repetitive but the Crimson Tide once again enjoyed a beautiful outdoor session at the Thomas-Drew Practice Fields. The team was greeted by partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the 70s.

Just like last Friday, this practice was a prep day before playing in the spring's second scrimmage on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The team was in helmets, shoulder pads and shorts which mirrors a practice before a game.

OWIE

As if it wasn't bad enough to have Tony Brown hurting and Eddie Jackson out for the spring, now Maurice Smith appears to be slowed by injury. He was dressed out and stretched with the team but did not participate in drills.

STADIUM STEPS RUNNERS

As you may have read in today's Jumbo Package, Tony Brown got youthful offender status and Altee Tenpenny had his charge dropped with good behavior. Dillon Lee's DUI case has yet to be judged. All three of these young men were at practice today. Lee once again led the outside linebackers through drills.

COACHES CLINIC

Nick Saban's annual coaching clinic kicked off on Thursday with former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs as the lead speaker. The over 1,100 coaches took in Friday's practice and will return for Saturday's scrimmage. Former Alabama head coach Gene Stallings is the Friday evening speaker.

ICYMI

• Two years ago wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham was the nation's number #1 recruit coming out of HS. Everyone wanted him but today...not so much. DGB got in some trouble with a suspected burglary and hitting girls which led to his dismissal today from the Missouri football team. I am sure Bobby Petrino has already called him nine times by now.
• Former Alabama QB Luke Del Rio who transferred to Oregon State will be immediately eligible. No big surprise.
• Nick Saban is throwing out the first pitch at the Alabama-Auburn baseball game tonight and it looks to be a sellout crowd.
• The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted Jadeveon Clowney and AJ McCarron on Thursday. See Clowney try to sack AJ here.

RECRUITING

The nation's top JUCO running back Jovon Robinson is visiting the Capstone this weekend. You may recall the Memphis native signed with Auburn out of high school in 2012 but was declared ineligible and enrolled at Georgia Military College (same school as incoming tight end Ty Flournoy-Smith). Robinson practiced for two weeks at Auburn before he was declared ineligible in August 2012.

In 12 games in 2013, Robinson ran for an astounding 2,387 yards (198.9 yards per game) and 34 touchdowns - both NJCAA records. In the JUCO championship game against Jarran Reed and D.J. Pettway's East Mississippi Community College, he rushed 34 times for 238 yards and 3 TDs in a losing effort. 247sports.com has given Robinson a rare 5-star rating. Rivals and Scout give him 4 stars.

Do you remember back in 2010 when Lane Kiffin was head coach at Southern Cal and some 7th grader was offered and committed to the Trojans? Well, fast forward to 2014. Kiffin is at Alabama and today so is the kid. David Sills is a 3-star pro-style quarterback from Maryland who may no longer be welcome in South Central L.A. He does not have an offer from Alabama as of yet but Michigan, Clemson, West Virginia, Maryland, Va Tech, and Boston College have offered him.

This should be an interesting situation to keep an eye on. The Crimson Tide has yet to secure a pledge from a 2015 quarterback. While not highly rated, an Alabama offer to Sills could signify a few things. First would be that Kiffin truly believes in the kid and he could be a hidden gem. Secondly, could an offer be a sign that Kiffin is planning to stick around Tuscaloosa for awhile?

NEXT PRACTICE

Scrimmage number two will take place on Saturday at Bryan-Denny Stadium with the 1,100+ coaches from the coaching clinic on hand to observe. However, it will be closed to the rest of the public and media. Saban will hold his next press conference following the scrimmage.

Alabama's 2014 A-Day Game is scheduled for Saturday, April 19 at 1 pm CT inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. Once again, it is free to the public and will be televised live on ESPNU.

* The Aubies think they can outdraw us in spring. So let's show them what real football fans look like! *