PRACTICE REPORT: Alabama begins preparation for Texas A&M

James Ogletree, Staff Writer

Alabama began preparations for Saturday’s SEC home opener against Texas A&M on Monday afternoon. Here are some observations from a steamy, yet brief, viewing period:

Anfernee Jennings watched the rest of the outside linebackers go through individual drills. That’s probably not much of a concern, as he’s done so before. Christian Miller and Jamey Mosley were the first two through the drill, as would be expected.
After cornerback Saivion Smith was benched against Ole Miss and replaced with freshman Patrick Surtain II, Smith was ahead of Surtain in today’s reps against wide receivers. By no means, however, does that indicate who will start from here forward.
Backup inside linebacker Josh McMillon appeared to be getting his ankle wrapped right at the start of practice.
Defensive back Kyriq McDonald was limping slightly and reaching for his leg at the end of the viewing period. The DBs were dropping back several yards downfield and then attempted to catch passes thrown by coaches.
The offensive linemen worked on one-on-one blocking but shuffled some positions. Jonah Williams and Lester Cotton were at their normal left tackle and left guard positions, but the remaining three slots were filled by Emil Ekiyor Jr., Deonte Brown and Richie Petitbon. The other three starters (Ross Pierschbacher, Alex Leatherwood and Jedrick Wills Jr.) were all present at practice, so there’s no cause for concern.