Alabama football players saw plenty of change during the offseason. Kalen DeBoer took over for Nick Saban, the staff mostly turned over and the Crimson Tide way will look much different next season.

However, DeBoer kept at least one thing the same. Ahead of spring football, which began Monday, the Alabama fourth quarter program remained the same.

“We kept it pretty consistent with what it’s been,” DeBoer said. “The guys, you can tell it’s something they felt really strong about. The energy is there, from the beginning to the end.”

The offseason training program came to Alabama with Saban and former strength coach Scott Cochran. Even after Cochran’s departure, it continued as a part of the Crimson Tide offseason.

Famously intense, the fourth quarter program was meant to help toughen up the Tide for late in close games.

“I think the key is taking that in the workouts in the early winter months here and transferring that over to football,” DeBoer said. “That was the challenge today. We have a period at the end where we gather. We refer to it – I’ve done this many years – we refer to it as the finish, the fourth-quarter period. Being able to connect to what they just did the last few weeks with the fourth-quarter program, it’s transferring that from the indoor and the workouts that they’re doing onto the football. I think that excites them.”

Alabama continues spring practice on Wednesday. The Crimson Tide gets 15 spring sessions, which will concluded with the A-Day game on April 13 at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

UA opens the season Aug. 31 against Western Kentucky.

“There’s been a lot of football games won because of the work that’s been put in, because of that program, and they believe in it,” DeBoer said. “It’s going to be important for us this fall, for sure.”