Regardless of him being pleased with the coaching staff, early enrollees and returning experience, Alabama head coach Nick Saban made one thing clear on Friday.
The Crimson Tide must get back to its standard of discipline and being team first.
After taking the first few moments of his presser to discuss the importance of being focused and having humility as a team, Saban addressed a question on a sophomore inside linebacker that’s expected to have a productive season in the coming fall.
RELATED: Assistant coaches establish workmanlike tone in UA’s first spring practice
Brandon “Ale” Kaho, a native of Reno, Nev., was absent for the Tide’s first spring practice.
He stood behind Dylan Moses in positional drills last season, and developed a skill set in being a natural headhunter on kickoff and punt coverage.
In a similar situation that occurred with Eyabi Anoma, Saban said Kaho is “dealing with some issues” at this time.
“We are trying to be supportive of him in every way we can,” he said of Kaho. “We are going to try and continue to help him. I don’t know if there will be some point in time where he’ll be ready to come back and play football or not.”
Aside from Moses and Josh McMillon, Alabama is lacking experience at inside linebacker.
Hopefully Kaho returns, especially with him having the physical build of former Tide standout and 2013 Butkus Award winner – C.J. Mosley.
The 6-foot-1, 224-pounder pushed Saban’s 2018 recruiting class into a top-five spot nationally. Prior to him coming in late, Alabama boasted the No. 6 class in the country.
He recorded 11 tackles, all on special teams’, through 15 games – assisting the Tide to a Southeastern Conference championship.
Seeing how Saban got Anoma to remove his name from the transfer portal, there is no reason for the panic button on Kaho.
As for injuries, Saban said defensive back Shyheim Carter (sports hernia) and linebacker Ben Davis (shin) will be limited throughout spring.
However, he did state that Carter has an opportunity to come back at some point.
The senior from Louisiana finished among the team leaders in both pass breakups (10) and interceptions (two) for the 2018 season. Defensively, it is huge to see Terrell Lewis, Anfernee Jennings, Christopher Allen, Jalyn Armour-Davis and Trevon Diggs all back healthy.
All five players were spotted in Friday’s practice and each one is positioned to have a monster year.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
