TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama quarterback Bryce Young had a forgettable A-Day scrimmage behind a lackluster offensive line on Saturday, but it wasn’t all bad news as the Crimson Tide showcased two talented transfers to close out spring practice.
Wide receiver Jermaine Burton, who led Georgia in receptions over the last two seasons, caught a 22-yard pass from Young to begin the game.
Burton finished with three catches, and afterward coach Nick Saban called him the “most consistent guy at the position” during the spring.
But it was running back Jahmyr Gibbs, a former All-ACC transfer from Georgia Tech, who had the most impressive moment of the game when he scored on a 75-yard run.
Saban said of Gibbs, “Fast is fast.”
“He gives us something at the running back position because he’s really good at pressing the holes, but he has a great burst to get the top speed quickly,” Saban added. “Very good running back. Very good receiver. Very good third-down back. So a very good addition.”
Overall, though, the first-team offense wasn’t up to par.
Some of its struggles could be attributed to a lack of possessions as Alabama used a running clock to try to end the game before severe weather entered the area. Also, Saban said it was the first time all spring that the team played in the rain, which contributed to drops by receivers.
Young, who won the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore last season, completed 14 of 29 pass attempts for 153 yards, no touchdowns and one interception.
He wasn’t helped by an offensive line that gave up 10 sacks to the first-team defense.
“A lot of inexperienced players playing positions against some guys that are pretty good players, that are pretty good rushers,” Saban said of the offensive line. “And, you know, that probably impacted the game a little bit, and we’ll certainly try to improve that. I think we will in recruiting and we’ll do it every way that we can.”
Last week, Alabama gained the commitment of Tyler Steen, a three-year starter on the offensive line at Vanderbilt.
Steen is expected to compete for a starting role.
“All in all, I thought we had a good spring,” Saban said. “We had a lot of guys make a lot of progress. I think we know what we need to do. I think the important thing now is players can actually take where they are, regardless of where they are, and do the things they need to do over the course of the summer and fall camp to make the improvements that they need to make.”
Alabama is scheduled to open the season at home on Sept. 2 against Utah State.