Talk is cheap: Bama reports to camp

Finally, after months of talk and speculation, Alabama will get down to business today with the start of fall practice.

The Crimson Tide, who went 6-7 last season, reported to campus Thursday for physicals and conditioning tests. The veterans are scheduled to practice at 3 p.m. today and the freshman will go on their own at 7:30 p.m.

New coach Nick Saban, who was hired in January to replace the fired Mike Shula, is well known for his tough, no-nonsense practices, so the Crimson Tide face a tough month ahead. Senior cornerback Simeon Castille, a first-team All-SEC preseason pick, said the returning players already have an idea of what to expect after going through spring practice and a rigorous summer conditioning program.

'One of things (the coaches) want us to learn is that you have to outwork your opponent, so they would simulate a lot of that in training,' Castille said last week during SEC Media Days, 'I definitely think it will pay off.'

Saban said 105 players, as expected, reported to camp. Of Saban's first recruiting class, which was rated No. 10 in the country by Rivals.com, 21 of the 24 signees reported Thursday.

Parade All-American defensive lineman Kerry Murphy, of Hoover, failed to qualify academically and will spend the year at a prep school, Saban said. Defensive back Michael Ricks, a former R.A. Hubbard standout and a two-year starter at Northeast Mississippi Community College, also failed to qualify.

Running back Jamar Taylor, who enrolled in January, decided to transfer and was released from his scholarship last month. Another signee Nick Gentry, a defensive lineman from Prattville, is still rehabilitating a shoulder injury and won't participate in fall practice, Saban said.

Injured wide receiver Tyrone Prothro, who has undergone numerous operations on his left leg since injuring it against Florida during the 2005 season, was one of four players placed on medical scholarship, Saban said. The other three are Jake Jones, Byron Walton and Aaron McDaniel, and Saban said the team's medical staff was '99.9 percent sure that this is a long-term issue we're dealing with and that it would be unusual for a guy to ever come back.'

Of the 16 returning starters, nine of them are on offense, which means that defensively the Tide — who were picked to finish fourth in the SEC West by the media — will need some of its newcomers to catch on quickly.

'For the younger players, heart, competitive character, whatever you want to call it, is still something we're trying to evaluate in them,' Saban said during a conference call with the media. 'We want to see what their learning curve is, what kind of maturity they have in terms of how fast they can learn and show they want to improve.'

The team will practice once a day until Wednesday when the Tide will go through the first of four two-a-days — going at 9:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. — during an eight-day span. Sunday will be fan day at Bryant-Denny Stadium, during which fans can watch the team's two-hour practice and afterward coaches and players will be available to sign autographs. Sunday's practice begins at 2:30 p.m.

Alabama opens its season on Sept. 1 against Western Carolina.

John C. Frierson can be reached at 740-5730 or john.frierson@timesdaily.com.