As defending champion Alabama takes the field for the start of spring practice today, here are five players worth keeping an eye on:
QB Blake Barnett: Be wary of fan favorites and frontrunners when it comes to quarterback races, but don’t hold those titles against Barnett, who impressed the staff for much of fall camp last season as a true freshman, pushing Jake Coker and Cooper Bateman in practice and during scrimmages. Barnett hit the wall most rookies experience, but with a year under his belt, there’s something to the notion that he’s the favorite to be Alabama’s starting QB in 2016.