Every year, Alabama continues its tradition of A-Day. This is an annual exhibition game held by the Crimson Tide at the end of spring practice. It is a game between the offensive and defensive starters. However, this past season, Alabama shifted A-Day to an open practice format rather than the traditional scrimmage. So, fans were still able to come watch, but there was no game for fans to watch like in previous years.
One of the chief reasons Alabama and the coaching staff decided to adjust the A-Day format was to focus on player development. Now there is talk of eliminating A-Day entirely. In an interview with the Tuscaloosa News released on Thursday, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox spoke about the possibility of getting rid of Alabama’s A-Day tradition.
“From the city standpoint, I can’t believe it. Twenty years ago, if you would have asked me ‘Would you want to have A-Day?’ I’d say, Yes’,” Maddox said. “Today, I would say, with all the things that come now surrounding it, I think it’s better for us not to have A-Day and focus on the UA-generated events that don’t require so much security personnel and other logistical support.”
Alabama scaled back its A-Day spring game in 2025, and the mayor of Tuscaloosa said Wednesday he’d be OK if it went away entirely. https://t.co/VAgbQfa074
— Alabama Crimson Tide | AL.com (@aldotcomTide) July 3, 2025
Traditional spring games have been on the decline across the nation in recent years. Alabama is one of the last teams in the nation that still holds an annual scrimmage that closely resembles a regular-season game.
Walt Maddox Does Not Believe Alabama’s A-Day Will Return to What It Was at the Start of His Tenure As Mayor
Walt Maddox has been the mayor of Tuscaloosa since 2005. As a result, he has seen significant changes in the college football landscape since the start of his tenure. In 2007, 92,000 fans packed into Bryant-Denny Stadium to watch Nick Saban’s first A-Day. However, the college football landscape has changed, and that is no longer something that the city or the Crimson Tide thinks is viable, according to Maddox.
Maddox spoke about how he thinks A-Day will evolve in the coming years, but he does not think it will go back to what it was 10 or 20 years ago.
“It’ll be interesting to see the evolution of A-Day,” Maddox said. “I don’t know any information, but I don’t think A-Day will ever exist again, at least over the next 10 to 20 years, the way it has in the past.”
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
