Will fans fill Bryant-Denny Stadium for Kalen DeBoer's first A-Day game?
The University of Alabama is preparing to welcome more than 50,000 fans to Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday for the 2024 A-Day Game in Tuscaloosa.
People can expect sunny skies and temperatures in the low 80s this weekend for the spring football game, according to the National Weather Service in Birmingham. Admission to the A-Day game is free. Bryant-Denny Stadium's gates will open at noon and kickoff is set for 3 p.m., with ESPN televising.
More: A fans' guide to A-Day: Why you should go to Alabama's spring football game
Nick Frenz, UA associate director of event management, said A-Day is an exciting event for fans who are passionate about Alabama football. He said people from all over the country come to Tuscaloosa for UA athletic events, especially Alabama football.
"Between A-Day and seven regular season games, you get to see 90,000-plus people pour into campus and take in what's great about the university and University of Alabama athletics," Frenz said.
In 2007, Alabama fans filled more than 92,000 seats at Bryant-Denny Stadium for then-coach Nick Saban's first A-Day game. Saban retired in January after 17 seasons at UA.
With new UA football coach Kalen DeBoer's first A-Day game set for this Saturday, UA must prepare as if the stadium will be filled to its now 100,077-seat capacity, Frenz said.
"We're expecting a full house this time... that's the first that we've seen anything like that in several years for an A-Day game," Frenz said.
In 2011, 92,310 fans filled the stadium for the A-Day game when Saban's statue was unveiled at the Walk of Fame. A-Day attendance fluctuated between 50,000 and 70,000 fans during the Saban era.
Last year's A-Day game drew a crowd of around 58,000, so Frenz expects a crowd more in that range for Saturday.
Frenz says there's a sense of excitement about DeBoer as the Crimson Tide's new coach.
"I think fans are curious to see how the offense is gonna be run, how the defense is gonna run and how that's gonna look. That'll give them an idea of what the upcoming season is going to look like," he said.
The A-Day game wraps up spring football practice, with the Crimson Tide set to kick off the 2024 season on Aug. 31 against Western Kentucky University in its home opener.
A-Day fans can expect some of the pageantry of a regular season game, with the Million Dollar Band, high school students and Million Dollar Band alumni performing.
Saban and the 2023 team captains will participate in the Walk of Fame ceremony at 1 p.m. at Denny Chimes and fans can welcome the 2024 when they arrive at 1:30 p.m. at the Walk of Champions.
Food, music and entertainment will be available at Champions Lane adjacent to the Tuska elephant statue.
A-Day game-day operations will run just like a regular season game as far as parking and road closures, Frenz said. UA has a website, uagameday.com, with all that information and more. Fans can also use the website to download the gameday app directly on their smartphones.
Other UA athletic events will also take place during A-Day weekend, including:
The men's tennis team against Ole Miss at 4 p.m. Friday and against Texas A&M at 1 p.m. Sunday at the tennis facility.
Baseball vs. Texas A&M at 6 p.m. Friday, 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at Sewell-Thomas Stadium
Softball vs. Texas A&M at 11:30 a.m. Saturday and 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Rhoads Stadium.
Ticket information about these events is available at www.rolltide.com.
Those events and the A-Day game will draw large crowds and likely affect Tuscaloosa traffic, so Frenz advised fans to be patient.
The safety of fans is No. 1 priority, Frenz said, and security measures will operate similarly to regular season games.
Last year, Tuscaloosa police announced enhanced safety measures on the Strip, which include:
Beefed-up patrols and a new police substation at 1209 University Blvd.
Temporary speed bumps
New parking and towing rules. Property owners are no longer required to be present for a vehicle to be towed from their property, according to a measure passed by the Tuscaloosa City Council. This means that vehicles are much more likely to get towed when motorists park in a lot that requires decals or credentials.
Stricter enforcement of loitering ordinances.
Frenz said fans are encouraged to be aware of these rules before they come to the UA campus.
But the main goal for A-Day is for fans to have fun and enjoy DeBoer's debut at Bryant-Denny Stadium, he said.
"I think fans are excited because, again, this is something that they haven't experienced since 2007," Frenz said.
Reach Jasmine Hollie at JHollie@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Will Alabama fans fill Bryant-Denny Stadium for A-Day football game?
