It’s that time of year already. Alabama football begins spring practice on Monday in Tuscaloosa.

Kalen DeBoer enters his second season as the Crimson Tide’s head coach, and after a 9-4 season in 2024, UA is looking to bounce back to its traditional championship form. As the journey begins, here are three questions for Alabama to answer during spring ball.

Will we learn anything about the quarterback battle?

To recall a line Nick Saban trotted out at SEC media days in 2023, the cake is back in the oven. With Jalen Milroe off to the NFL Draft, the Crimson Tide once again needs a new quarterback.

Ty Simpson is the presumed frontrunner after spending the past two seasons as UA’s primary backup. However, he’ll have stiff competition from fellow returnee Austin Mack and five-star true freshman Keelon Russell.

It’s unlikely DeBoer finds his starter during spring practice. However, it will be interesting to see how far the competition progresses leading up to the A-Day game.

Complicating matters is the upcoming transfer portal window. The Alabama staff will need to correctly thread the needle where each prospective starter feels they have enough incentive to stick around through the rest of the offseason.

Which newcomers can make an immediate impact?

As usual, Alabama lost plenty of talent to the NFL Draft after the 2024 season. As the new season approaches, DeBoer and company will be looking to see which new faces can help fill in.

An obvious candidate to make a major impact is Isaiah Horton. The wide receiver who transferred in from Miami could be primed for a big season, as defenses try to stop Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard as well.

Up front, with Tyler Booker gone, Kam Dewberry could play a major role. The Texas A&M transfer will look to earn a starting job, beginning in spring practice.

And that’s not to mention all of the freshman, from Russell to Dijon Lee and the rest of the class. Spring is a great time for coaches to get a first look at their latest crop of youngsters.

Does any of this matter?

The April 12 A-Day game won’t be on television. Around the country, coaches at other programs are canceling their spring games altogether, citing potential for standout players to get poached from their programs, not to mention injury concerns.

With the spring transfer portal window right around the corner, perhaps the current form of spring football is past its usefulness. Sure, it might be useful for freshmen and other newcomers to work on learning the Crimson Tide’s systems.

But with the window coming up, so much of the roster has the potential to change before the players take the field again. And that’s not to mention the injuries, which could damage the Crimson Tide’s 2025 season before it even gets going.

Perhaps the spring system could be overhauled, but at current time, how useful is the exercise for Alabama?