Jumbo Package: Notes from Spring Scrimmage, Jalen Hurts gets paid

Happy Monday, everyone. It was a fine weekend on the diamonds as softball swept Mississippi State while baseball took two of three from Auburn.

Intel from the second scrimmage of the spring seems to be that the offense and defense were quite competitive with one another, but the offense came out just a bit ahead overall.

Offensive line coach Eric Wolford rotated a lot of players, but most of the time the first-team unit was from left to right: Elijah Pritchett, Darrian Dalcourt, Seth McLaughlin, Tyler Booker and JC Latham. When Dalcourt moved over to center, Terrence Ferguson came in at guard.

We’re hearing that freshman Kayden Proctor is already making a push at left tackle. Keep an eye out for No. 74 during A-Day.

“They both made some good plays, but they also both made some plays that they probably wish they would have had back,” Saban said. “They’re making progress. They’re improving. I think that they’re developing some confidence in the offense and what they’re supposed to read, and what they’re supposed to do.”

After the offense had the clear edge in the first scrimmage last week, Saban he thought “both quarterbacks played equally well” and “did a nice job out there managing the game.” In the second scrimmage Saturday, that advantage was not as clear.

“I thought we were a little up and down today,” Saban reiterated. “I thought we made some really good plays but I also thought we made, maybe, some mistakes we need to eliminate.”

There’s no lack of buzz out of the scrimmages around Haynes and what he has done in a short time in Tuscaloosa. How the hype translates to games remains to be seen, but Haynes has a shot to make an impact early in a running back rotation filled with talented options.

Even if Jase McClellan ends up being the starter, Alabama might have trouble not getting Haynes into the rotation early and often.

It’s great to hear all the buzz about the offensive line, and it isn’t the least bit surprising that Proctor is already pushing to play. Saban has always been about getting the best five on the line, so if Proctor and Pritchett are both in that group then one of them will likely play guard this season.

Along with Haynes, Caleb Downs continues to make waves. He appears to have quickly earned a starting job at safety. As usual, you can check out all of Saban’s comments below.

Alabama picked up a 5th commitment for the 2024 cycle.

Rico Scott, a four-star receiver according to the 247Sports Composite, has committed to the Crimson Tide, he announced on Twitter. He chose Alabama over schools such as Colorado, Georgia, Tennessee, Penn State and Texas A&M after visiting Alabama this weekend.

Scott is a 6-foot, 185-pound prospect who attends Bishop McDevitt in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The 247Sports Composite ranks him as the No. 55 receiver in the 2024 class and the No. 11 player in the state of Pennsylvania.

Offensive line coach Eric Wolford is listed as Scott’s primary recruiter, and assistant head coach of offense/wide receivers Holmon Wiggins is the secondary recruiter.

Jalen Hurts just got PAID.

Last, Alabama softball picked up a commitment from Jenna Johnson’s sister.

Lauren, a Centennial softball standout who was named the Tennessean Player of the Year in 2022, has signed with Alabama. There, she’ll be teammates with her sister Jenna, who starred at Page and is now the Crimson Tide’s starting left fielder. Alyssa, Lauren’s twin, won’t play softball, but will attend Alabama too where she’ll study chemical engineering.

“It’s fun to have the whole family there,” said Lauren, who committed to the Tide as a junior. “We all wanted Alyssa to come to Alabama, but when she finally announced it to our family, it was comforting. I’ll have family on the softball team, but I’ll also have family back in regular school life.”

That’s about it for today. Have a great week.

Roll Tide.