Practice one came and went quickly for Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer .
To DeBoer, the practice field was filled with players showcasing a "workmanlike mentality," doing their best and bringing others with them. It's what DeBoer likes to see.
It's what DeBoer expects from the Crimson Tide from practice two until April 12th's A Day in Bryant-Denny Stadium.
"I think it's always about just continuing to climb, continue to have progress," DeBoer said. "Challenged the guys out there. You're either getting better or getting worse. That's individually. That's us collectively. It's your side of the ball. And so I think that's a good starting point is which direction did you go? And I expect a great attitude. Energy, effort, all that. It's always going to be that practice one, and I expect that every single practice."
After practice one, one player signified the progress DeBoer wants to see: Isaiah Horton .
Horton, DeBoer said, is a part of an Alabama wide receiver room that "got longer" and taller, mentioning Jalen Hale and Derek Meadows along with Horton as potential weapons to pair with Germie Bernard and Ryan Williams .
In three seasons at Miami, Horton had 790 receiving yards and six touchdown receptions on 70 catches. Most of his production came in 2024 with 56 catches for 616 yards and five touchdowns.
With Horton, DeBoer sees "a lot of production," someone who's been there, who has played major college football.
"The lights aren't going to be too bright for him," DeBoer said. "You can see just his focus in the phase of workouts that we had. It's important to him. He came here for a reason because he wanted to be pushed. He wanted to be challenged. He wanted to come around here. He wasn't scared of competition— some guys that are in the program like Germ and Ryan that had a lot of production themselves. He added to the room, and we're excited about his personality, his attitude he brings. It's been nothing but positive."
Alabama will hold its A Day spring game at noon April 12 from Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama WR Isaiah Horton represents the 'focus' Kalen DeBoer wants to see
