Alabama football players used to not have to worry much about change. Coordinators came and went, but Nick Saban was a constant, and new assistants were expected to adapt to the Crimson Tide system, not vice versa.

That’s done. It’s a major shift for players, as Kalen DeBoer’s first spring practice took place Monday and Alabama’s new head coach looked to implement his system in Tuscaloosa.

There’s plenty new, from Kane Wommack’s changes to the defense to DeBoer’s own high-powered scoring attack. For players, there’s also the simple stuff: things like where drills are located, where to run when the horn sounds to end a practice period.

“We talked through the last week a few different times, just where these locations are for each session and it was actually pretty smooth,” DeBoer said of the first day. “The guys had a pretty good feel of where to go. What that allows you to do is then have the expectation of hustling and having a bounce in your step. The energy never fell off the entire length of practice. I think when it comes to execution as far as how smooth things were.”

DeBoer was complimentary of both staff and players after Alabama’s first day of spring ball. The Tide will have 14 more, finishing up with the A-Day spring game on April 13 in Bryant-Denny Stadium

“I think practice one is just your base stuff on each side of the ball,” DeBoer said. “Where it will get hard is when you get into each continual install. Practice two, but then especially practice three and four and five. As we continue to put more in offensively or defensively and then the other side of the ball is putting something in as well, and that’s when it becomes something where, not just what you have to do but also what you’re going against”

DeBoer has built up a program before. He took over a Washington team that had fallen on hard times before the 2022 season and turned the Huskies into a College Football Playoff squad.

It’s early at Alabama, but the first day went according to plan.

“Today was great,” DeBoer said. “I thought it was smooth from transitions to just how hard we competed. Guys stayed up and that helps with our health and I thought our execution was pretty good. It’s going to be a give and take, that’s what you want from a head coach’s standpoint. The offensive guys want to dominate and the defensive guys want to dominate each and every play, but from my standpoint I want to see that good give-and-take, and that was certainly the case today.”