Nick Saban provides injury updates on Roydell Williams, Jase McClellan

Spring football is underway, and Alabama is hoping to build on its run to last year’s national championship. Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said his team’s a little beat up, tough, and provided injury updates on two key players.

Saban said running backs Roydell Williams and Jase McClellan are practicing without contact. They’re both dealing with knee injuries from last season, and Saban said McClellan is farther ahead because his injury happened earlier than Williams’.

Saban said Roydell Williams and Jase McClellan are practicing non-contact. McClellan is a little head of Williams because his injury happened earlier.

— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) March 23, 2022

Williams appeared in 10 games for Alabama last season, taking 48 carries for 284 yards and a touchdown while also tallying five receptions for 57 yards and a touchdown in the air. He suffered his injury in November and underwent surgery shortly thereafter.

McClellan took 40 carries for 191 yards and a touchdown in just five appearances. He went down in October against Ole Miss and wound up being out for the year as a result.

Now, with spring ball underway, the two are working their way back for the 2022 season. Getting them back would be huge for the Alabama backfield depth as the Crimson Tide try to get back to the national title game.

Nick Saban evaluates Alabama’s start to spring practice

Nick Saban and Alabama have plenty to be proud of in 2021, along with even more to be excited for in 2022.

Alabama, which won the SEC Championship and defeated then-undefeated Georgia, managed to make it all the way to the College Football Playoff finals, after earning a No. 1-overall seed and beating Cincinnati in the first round. However, that’s when things went awry for Alabama, as Saban’s Crimson Tide were unable to beat Georgia a second time, and the Bulldogs ended up winning the program’s first national championship since 1980.

But Alabama is turning the page on a new chapter as it starts spring practice, and Saban believes the Crimson Tide are already improving in the early stages of practice.

“We’re really excited about the offseason program that we’ve had, the attitude that this team has presented, the work that we’ve been able to get done, the conditioning level that we’ve been able to achieve with a lot of the guys,” Saban said. “I think the commitment has been good. We had a really good offseason program.”

Despite the disappointing ending, Saban’s team returns plenty of talent. Among the returning talent is quarterback Bryce Young, who won the Heisman Trophy last season and threw for 4,872 passing yards, 47 touchdowns and seven interceptions, all while completing 66.9 percent of his passing attempts.