Everything Kalen DeBoer said after Alabama’s 18th preseason practice

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama held its 18th preseason practice on Thursday morning, and after the August 21 workout, second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer spoke to reporters inside the Hank Crisp Indoor Practice Facility. Below is everything DeBoer said after Practice 18.

DeBoer’s opening statement…

“Introing into Florida State here, our first reps. We obviously have done a lot of homework and different meeting rooms and things like that might have snuck some peaks on film, but as far as coordinated efforts in practice today was where we started that. So both sides of the ball, all phases of the game, so that was good. 

“And then just an update because I guess I never really have had a chance to address you guys, Jam, you know, his injury, a little more significant than what I thought when I was there for the press conference with you guys last. I found out more information afterwards. So he’ll be out. We’ll go week by week, but he’ll be out for the first game for sure and we’ll play it from there.”

DeBoer on if he has decided on a backup quarterback…

“We won’t really get into that as far as who’s the second. These guys are going to keep competing. That’s for every position. So right now there’s balance between in some things we do, the reps, but there’s certainly coordination on who’s getting those reps as well.”

DeBoer on the running backs behind Miller…

“Just looking for someone to separate themselves. That’s really the situation. I feel like Jam was certainly at a higher level and we need these guys. I know they’re hungry and they want to do it, now they’ve just got to show us. It’s not just one area. It’s all phases. It’s running the ball. It’s pass protection. It’s just all those things combined. Each guy’s got some tools, got some things they can do. Just need them to stand out, because there’s kind of log jam there. Each of them have their strengths and they all can fit into the offense in some form or fashion.”

DeBoer on Jaeden Roberts…

“He hasn’t taken any team reps or anything right now. Still making that progress through that protocol that we’re on with his injury.”

DeBoer on James Smith…

“He’s practicing. James is practicing.”

DeBoer on preparing for Florida State with all of its changes…

“You walk in from my shoes, you walk into the offense and defense and special teams, especially offense and defense and you see a lot of different film being shown for different reasons. Personnel, scheme, what they were last year and then the same thing on offense. More probably scheme in what they were a year ago as far as their talent returning. So there is a lot, but you’ve got to make sure you’re not chasing ghosts and you’re trying to keep things simple for us, and we can do what we do.

“We have enough stuff that we see from each side of the ball that we see a lot of variations of our offense. We see a lot of variations from our defense. There are certainly some things that we expect that are different than what we do on offense or defense. Whether it’s a style of quarterback that they have or what they do defensively as a system. There certainly are some differences. So we’ve got to be ready for anything and everything.”

DeBoer on the mix of veterans, young players on special teams…

“Last year, I think we were at the top, I know we were at the top of the conference with the number of freshmen that were out there on those units. I would expect that, hopefully, it’s not at the same rep count at the end of the year, but I would say that we have a lot of confidence in those guys. I think we have some really, really strong, athletic kids that can go out there and make plays, even as freshmen. That’s not just offense and defense, but in special teams as you’re asking. They’ve been taking all the reps as part of our circuits and work, drill work that we’re trying to do to lay the foundation and now we get into scheme and we start laying out our depth chart and our starting point.

“There certainly are a lot of young guys, whether they’re freshmen or redshirt freshmen or true sophomores. There’s a lot of guys that’ll be out there, but they should be able to go out there and do the job. We believe, though, that you still will put your best players on the field, but there’s got to be a mix, there’s got to be a balance and a lot of those guys can go out there and make plays, just like they did a year ago.”

DeBoer on keeping wear and tear off veterans special teams-wise…

“We need to go out, special teams, the ball gets kicked and field position on special teams, you know, it’s critical. When you look at turnovers, explosive plays, special teams and we have fourth-down stops being there, those are chunk yardage plays. The ball getting kicked 40-plus yards every time, whether it’s kicks, punts. That field position and how it can really dictate and the hidden yardage that comes into play there, that’s important. So we’re not going to take it lightly.

“Coach Nunez does an awesome job working with what he’s got and fitting speed on the field where he needs speed, body types. And sometimes he has a position where he has a great pick of the litter, and a couple positions still where certain guys, we need certain guys. They might be upperclassmen. In places where we don’t have upperclassmen, younger guys have a chance to step up.”

DeBoer on if a punter has separated himself yet…

“Blake (Doud) has really, really since the first scrimmage, Blake’s had really good, what is that, a week and a half? He’s really to the point where he was at statistically, kind of what we thought he would be before he transferred. He transfers here and I think spring, kind of feeling it out, gets in our weight program. And we push our specialists in the weight program. Sometimes that forces you to go down before you can go up, and he’s definitely had an upward trajectory. So the scrimmage, the first scrimmage, I was impressed given the stadium. I’m like, ‘OK, he can sustain this.’ He certainly has statistically, and you can even see it visually. You’re out there watching, you can see the improvement over the last two weeks.”

DeBoer on Conor Talty…

“Yesterday was probably his best day in probably in a week-and-a-half. Here on the practice field, they’ve done a great job. Just making sure that that translates over to our own stadium. We’ll keep working on that. But he had a really good day yesterday. Got back to where I thought he was hitting it. It was going where he wanted. Had good distance. We challenged him with a distance kick that we actually probably thought he wouldn’t make the uprights. He was halfway up the uprights on it. Did a nice job there.”

DeBoer on Jaylen Mbakwe…

“He fits into the mix with some other guys. I think that room, there’s some guys at the top, and another pack of guys that are going to be important to us throughout the entire year. They might be in certain packages, and Bak would be certainly be one of those guys who is just going to keep fighting, keep scrapping. He’s doing the things he needs to do every day to just keep focusing on him and getting better. That’s what I appreciate about him. He’s finding his ways into the return way. Did a great job of that last year. Carving out a role there. He and the other guys will keep carving out their roles. And the more opportunities they get, I think they’ll take advantage of it. But you kind of got your guy kind of at the top, your main starters. And then you kind of got the next group all fighting, scratching and clawing to get playing time there.”

DeBoer on replacing Robbie Ouzts as personal protector on punts…

“That’s a little bit of a rotational piece right now. Robbie Ouzts is a big guy. Obviously did it for a lot of years. That’s a position where you think about Burnip, you think about all the other specialists who are now gone. But that guy was solid, not just last year, but the year before. There’s a rotation. We got the body types. We got the guys. We got the people who really want to do it. And I feel confident. I don’t want to get into the details of who it might be at this point yet.”

DeBoer on talking to Ty Simpson about when/how to use his athleticism… 

“You just have to find out ways to move the chains. In our offense, first and foremost, the priority is on always keeping the quarterback, you know, we say upright. Keep him up. Keep him healthy. We’re personnel-oriented, but we’re really quarterback-driven. So, for him to keep the ball moving gives him more opportunities to make the next play. A lot of our play calls have something where there’s a shot down the field. And for him to get a new set of downs gives him more opportunities, when the right coverage presents itself, that shot can exist.

“For him, it’s about moving the chains. If that’s him using his feet, that’s certainly what he needs to do. That’s what he’s done. I think he’s done a really nice job of that balance. Go get a first down. We’re never going to fault you for that. There’s going to be an ooh and an ah when you see a guy downfield that you wish you would have thrown it to. That happens with every quarterback, but be aggressive, but obviously he has to take care of himself too.”

DeBoer on Ty Simpson being more vocal in camp…

“He has. He was vocal even before he was named the starter. I appreciate that about him. I think again, that room did a great job of not making one guy or the other feel like they couldn’t step up and say things. Ty has continued to do that. He has invested a lot of time into this program. It means a lot to him. Now when he’s been the quarterback, named the quarterback, he’s taken it to another level and just put himself out there front and center. It’s not something that is just like OK, I’ve got to do this. He wants to do it. He feels natural in that position. I’m certainly proud of him. I think the team voting him a captain certainly represents how they feel about him as well.”

DeBoer on Tim Keenan’s leadership…

“Tim Keenan, first of all, just a guy who’s been here so long. Heart and soul type of guy type of guy in the program. Big brother to the younger guys. I know they feel like they can go to him and he’s going to shoot them straight. And then just the work ethic and the journey he’s been on. I didn’t really probably understand his journey until we got into the year last year. Understanding where he started out and how far he’s come along and what he’s doing for us for now, it’s really cool to see. It’s important to him. Heard each guy address the team just for couple seconds. He doesn’t take it for granted and he appreciates that.”

DeBoer on Parker Brailsford’s leadership…

“Parker, I tell you what, I really pretty much could have guessed he would have been a captain. Just the way he’s been as a leader and it starts with his leading by example. It’s really cool seeing a guy like Parker in particular step up vocally. See his growth. I’ve had a chance to see it now going on these four years. It means a lot to me just knowing our journey together that he’s continued to keep fighting, keep believing. The guys just really respect him. When he says something, it comes from here. He lives it every single day. It’s easy for him to speak up because it’s not something that’s hypocritical. They all listen. Proud of him for sure.”

DeBoer on which position group has made the most strides…

“I would say I like what our linebacking corps. It should be because they’ve got some veterans that are back. But I think the addition of Nikhai and you not knowing Deontae and how he’s come back from everything, and I think JJ is taking those next steps. I can’t say that … but I’m proud of that group and I’m excited what that group can do on the football field. Whether they’re the ones that have made the greatest strides, I don’t know.

“But the D-line I think has done some good things. I want to see the prove it on the football field. But I just really like the way that linebacker group kind of runs the show. I know a lots been talked about the defensive backs. I think consistently there’s been just a good way about our offensive line. How they’ve gone about it each and every day. There’s really no highs and lows. They’re just about the work. I like their mindset. So again, a lot of position groups that have done what you’re supposed to do in camp and that’s continue to progress, continue to get better and come together.”

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