Alabama football’s 2023 season ended with an overtime loss to Michigan in the College Football Playoff semifinals. The loss meant players like Dallas Turner, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Justin Eboigbe and a host of other veterans have played their last games with the Crimson Tide.

Just like every other season in college football, the turning of the calendar means it’s time for younger members of the team to step up. When spring practice rolls around, they’ll look to show off their development and earn more time on the field in 2024.

Before the Rose Bowl, AL.com caught up with some of the team’s younger members in Pasadena, during the Crimson Tide’s media day. Here’s what they had to say about the lessons they learned during the 2023 season.

Ty Simpson

Surprising some, Simpson reportedly opted to return to Alabama for the 2024 season. He battled with Jalen Milroe and Tyler Buchner for the starting job in camp, but when the cake came out of the oven, Simpson was on the bench.

The redshirt freshman took over the role as Milroe’s primary backup. He saw action in six games, making the most headlines against Chattanooga when he dropped the ball one yard short of rushing for a long touchdown.

That was a learning experience he promised he’ll never repeat. But Simpson said the year overall was excellent for his growth.

“I’ve gained a lot,” Simson said. “Especially from playing the USF game all the way to the Chattanooga game to the Kentucky game, I feel like I’ve gained a lot of experience but also grown a lot. I feel like I’m night-and-day different of a player and I feel like the team has confidence in me if I have to go in and I feel like the coaches have confidence in me. I’m really excited about my future.”

Dylan Lonergan

The true freshman quarterback from Snellville, Ga. saw action in the Chattanooga game, where he completed two passes. He came to Alabama as a two-sport athlete, with plans to also play baseball, but was non-committal about his future on the diamond before the Michigan game.

Lonergan had a solid preseason camp, and wound up competing for playing time, something he said was unexpected. He said the most difficult part of the transition to college was picking up the speed of the game.

He said he saw definite growth throughout the year.

“I’ve been able to pull a lot from a lot of different people, especially coach (Tommy) Rees,” Lonergan said. “Just being able to learn the offense. Especially reading defenses more and just learning how to be a quarterback the best I can, it’s been great.”

Keon Keeley

Keeley joined the Crimson Tide as a five-star edge prospect. He then didn’t see the field during the 2023 season.

For some, the experience might have been discouraging. But Keeley, who plans on remaining at Alabama, didn’t feel that way.

“I know what I signed up for at the University of Alabama,” Keeley said. “I saw that and I fell in love with it and I know that they’ll be able to develop me to my best potential.”

Keeley said the most difficult part of the season was getting fully up to speed with the playbook. He got the opportunity to watch Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell fill the edge-rusher roles this season, an experience he found extremely valuable.

He said those two, along with the Crimson Tide’s coaches, were instrumental in his development.

“They’ve held me accountable every day,” Keeley said. “They’ve never let me slack off one time and they’re always there to push me to be the best outside linebacker I can be… It’s a blessing, but they’ve all told me just to refine my skills, focus on getting 1% better, ignoring outside noise and getting ready for (my) moment.”

Wilkin Formby

A Tuscaloosa native, Formby might best be known as the grandson of the founder of Taco Casa. However, he was also a four-star offensive line prospect in the class of 2023, and played in three games for the Crimson Tide this season.

Formby said the time on the bench has helped teach him patience throughout the season. He pointed to JC Latham and Tyler Booker as older teammates who have helped him along.

Formby has also learned to appreciate the difficulty level of Alabama’s practices.

“The games that I’ve gotten to play in, I’ve realized that practice has really prepared me,” Formby said. “They don’t even match up to practice because of how intense practice is and the talented players that I get to go against in practice every day.

Another lesson came in how his veteran teammates handled Alabama’s early-season struggles.

“They stuck together as a team,” Formby said. “Nobody pointed fingers at all. They stuck together like a brotherhood and decided to persevere through it.”