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5 defensive storylines to follow as Alabama begins spring practice

Last Monday, Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide football team began spring practice in Tuscaloosa.

Over the course of five weeks, Alabama will complete 14 practices and will conclude the spring activities with the annual A-Day Game on Saturday, April 22 from inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

With each new season, position battles and question marks take center stage and 2023 will be no different.

Coach Saban not only has a lot of new faces on the roster, but a ton of new coaches will also be making their Alabama debuts in 2023.

As spring practice gets underway, let’s take a look a look some of the top storylines on each side of the ball. We have already looked at the offensive side of the ball, so now we will shift our focus to the defense.

Defensive line rotation

Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

With Justin Eboigbe, Tim Smith, Jaheim Oatis, and others returning, depth along the defensive line will not be in question. The only question is, how many guys will rotate in among the three-man front? I could see as many as seven to eight defensive linemen receiving playing time with the first-team defense.

The return of Kevin Steele

AP Photo/Sam Craft

Kevin Steele returning as Alabama’s defensive coordinator has received plenty of notoriety this offseason. Steele coached the Tide defense in 2007 which seems like a lifetime ago. Steele is looking to bring a little more of the old-school mentality to the Alabama defense and his chemistry with the Tide players will be worth monitoring this spring.

Outside linebacker with Dallas Turner out

AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)

During his press conference last Monday, coach Saban mentioned that Dallas Turner would not be participating in any physical contact this spring, which will allow younger players to receive more reps at that position. Perhaps the biggest beneficiary of Turner being out is senior Quandarrius Robinson. A couple more names to watch are Jeremiah Alexander and Keanu Koht.

Inside linebacker with Deontae Lawson out

Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images

As is the case with Turner at outside linebacker, Deontae Lawson will also be out this spring recovering from surgery. Lawson is expected to be one of Alabama’s two starting inside linebackers this season. Still, his absence this spring will provide an excellent opportunity for the Tide to build quality depth. Georiga transfer Trezmen Marshall and JUCO prospect Justin Jefferson could be the primary inside linebackers this spring.

The secondary

(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

Brian Branch, Jordan Battle, Demarcco Hellams, and Eli Ricks are all gone from the 2022 Alabama secondary. Superstar Kool-Aid McKisntry will certainly lock down one side of the field, but the other spots in the backend are up for grabs. Terrion Arnold, who started several games for Alabama in 2022 will likely be at the other corner spot opposite of Kool-Aid.  I imagine the coaching staff will move senior Malachi Moore to safety to potentially work alongside freshmen sensation Caleb Downs. What Alabama does at the STAR position may be the most intriguing. Earl Little II is a name Tide fans should learn. He could prove to be the next great one. Competition in the secondary will take center stage on the defense this spring.

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Story originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire