Nick Saban outlines plan, format for A-Day ahead of this weekend

It’s almost that time. A-Day is almost here as Alabama gets ready for its first taste of a game atmosphere for the first time since January’s national championship game.

Prior to the event, Nick Saban outlined the plan and format for the game. He said he’s not doing too much different from what he’s done the last few years, but the goal remains the same. It’s all about getting the players experience in a game-like setting — and good matchups are going to be key.

“The first offense is on one team with the second defense,” Saban said Thursday. “The first defense is on the other team with the second offense. So the ones play against the ones, the twos play against the twos. I’ve done A-Day games like 15 different ways, and [if] you get mismatches in the game, it can ruin the game. This is the best way that the good players play against the good players, the most experienced players play against the most experienced players. It’s more challenging for them. It’s better for us in terms of evaluation, and I think it’s more game-like, which is really the ultimate goal out of A-Day.

“Even though the coaching staff’s split up, we want to get bench organization for the game. We want players to go through what they go through in pregame, what they go through in halftime. This is kind of an exhibition game type experience that we want to try to utilize the best we can so it helps our team grow and develop. Obviously, we try to simplify things so we’re not really showing anything exotic to our opponents, but it’s also a better way for us to be able to evaluate all the players because hopefully, the simplicity helps them know what to do so they can play fast, be physical and have fun.”

A-Day takes place Saturday at 3 p.m. ET, and Saban admitted it was unfortunate timing with the Easter holiday weekend. However, he’s still reportedly preparing to have a big recruit in the house for the game.

Report: Alabama set to host transfer wide receiver Tyler Harrell during A-Day weekend

Louisville transfer Tyler Harrell is expected to visit Alabama this weekend, according to multiple reports. The incoming junior entered the transfer portal earlier this week after spending two seasons on the field with the Cardinals.

The six-foot, 194-pound wide receiver averaged 29.1 yards per catch last season on just 18 receptions. Harrell finished with a total of 523 yards and six touchdowns, with all but one of his scores coming against conference opponents. Before the 2021 season, Harrell had only appeared in four games, split between 2018 and 2019. He did not see game action during the 2020 season.