Alabama’s Saban suspends two

Tuscaloosa, Ala. — Alabama opened spring practice Friday without two suspended linebackers and with a quarterback question that coach Nick Saban is in no rush to answer.

Saban said backup linebacker Prince Hall is suspended indefinitely and starter Brandon Fanney was at least out for the start of practice, both due to violation of unspecified team rules.

Fanney was the team’s third-leading tackler and his nine stops for a loss were second, but Saban said “I don’t know when he will return.” Hall was also suspended for the first two games last season.

Despite their status, the biggest questions leading into spring for the Tide revolve around the offense.

Freshman Star Jackson and junior Greg McElroy are vying to replace John Parker Wilson at quarterback in the fall, and Saban said there’s no pressing reason to have a clear-cut No. 1 passer when spring practices end.

That’s backed up by his frequently reiterated policy of offseason depth charts being “for organizational purposes only.”

“You’ve got to be patient,” Saban said. “There’s a process of what you have to see and give guys a chance to develop.

“I know we want instant coffee, instant tea. Right now, we want to know who the starting quarterback is going to be next year. But can we at least let them practice for a while, look at them and see how they do and kind of give them a chance to develop before we make that determination?”

Neither quarterback has much college experience. Jackson was redshirted last season. McElroy has completed 16-of-20 passes in the past two seasons

Both had impressive high school credentials. McElroy succeeded Chase Daniel as quarterback at Southlake Carroll High School in Texas and set a state high school record with 56 touchdowns.

“Last year we felt confident that Greg could go into the game and do a good job for us,” Saban said. “When he did play I think he did a pretty good job even though I don’t think there was a situation where the game was on the line where he had to play.”

Jackson was one of the nation’s top quarterback prospects out of Lake Worth, Fla.

“Star’s really done well in the offseason,” Saban said. “He’s gotten a little bigger, a little stronger. He’s very athletic. He’s got a good attitude about what he’s trying to do. We’re just anxious to see how he progresses.

“We feel like he has a tremendous amount of potential and we’re looking forward to seeing how that develops.”

At other positions, the Tide will have other potential contenders join the mix in the fall.

Alabama is seeking to replace left tackle Andre Smith, the Outland Trophy winner. Junior college transfer James Carpenter is one of four newcomers participating in the spring and could join the mix. But D.J. Fluker of Foley was one of the Tide’s top recruits in a class rated by several recruiting services as the nation’s best.

Mark Ingram is the top returning tailback since Glen Coffee skipped his senior season to enter the NFL draft. Highly touted freshman Trent Richardson joins the team in the fall.

Two players will start the spring relegated to non-contact drills. Running back Roy Upchurch is recovering from neck surgery while receiver Earl Alexander had an operation on his shoulder.

Meanwhile, B.J. Scott is working at cornerback after seeing some action at receiver as a freshman.