Officers responded to a domestic call and interviewed Jones and the alleged victim. Jones allegedly took a woman’s cell phone and damaged it and then threatened to assault her in front of a witness, according to police. He was transported to the Tuscaloosa County Jail pending a $1,000 bond and a mandatory 12-hour domestic violence hold, per police.

This is the fourth player to be arrested since March, with safety Geno Smith, defensive tackle Jonathan Taylor and running back Tyren Jones. Smith was arrested for drunk driving, Taylor was arrested and charged with domestic violence, and Jones was arrested for possession of marijuana. Taylor and Jones were dismissed from the football team shortly after these arrests.

Cyrus Jones was Alabama’s most reliable cornerback last season, playing in every game — with a torn labrum in his hip — and had 46 tackles and three interceptions.

Alabama linebacker Ryan Anderson was arrested in January on the same charge for kicking a woman’s car. Anderson is still on the team but he did not play at A-Day due to injury, and neither did Jones.

“Any time you come off a season where it doesn’t end like you want it to,” Jones said. “It always gives you that extra motivation going into the next time you get back out there.”

Along with outgoing safety Landon Collins, Jones emerged as a reliable defender in 2014. He accounted for 46 total tackles, two tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, three interceptions, and a team-high 13 pass breakups. He was a constant presence against some of Alabama’s best opponents, and will be counted upon as a defensive leader in the fall.

But the way he played on the field is made even more impressive by the fact that he was injured for the entire season. He tore his labrum in his hip last June and finally had surgery for it on January 12, 2015, nearly two weeks after Alabama lost to Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl.

“As soon as I was diagnosed with it, I knew eventually I would need surgery,” Jones said. “But I couldn’t get surgery because I would’ve had to sit out during the season, so I just had to deal with it during the season.”

He had to stay conditioned during the summer even with the injury, but he was held out some running workouts and focused more on alternative conditioning exercises. During the season, he got treatment to manage the pain and make sure he could perform during games.

On Tuesday, Jones assessed his health at about 70 percent, and said it would be a few more months before he’s back to full health.

With this injury, Jones hasn’t practiced this offseason — riding a stationary bike next to recovering linebacker Denzel Devall during practices — but he has been able to watch his unit’s improvement.

Jones welcomed the presence of new defensive backs coach Mel Tucker, and has been impressed with new players who have stepped up this Spring.

Focusing on one player specifically, both Jones and running back Derrick Henry have touted the praise of early enrollee safety Ronnie Harrison and his improvement.

“Ronnie Harrison has been doing a great job,” Henry said. “He looks really good, a guy who is an early enrollee and has played well, like he’s been here before.”

No matter who steps up alongside Jones in the defensive backfield, he knows the unit received mountains of criticism last season, and it probably will remain that way this year until the doubters are proven otherwise, which is Jones’ primary goal.

“I know criticism is something that you got to let go in one ear and out the other, but it’s hard to when you’re constantly hearing the same things,” Jones said. “I think it’s definitely something that us as a secondary takes personally. We got a point to prove…and I know once I come back, I’m just going to be ready to prove all the doubters wrong.”

The 2015 Alabama signing class can be described in the same way the rest of Nick Saban’s signing classes have been — elite. The Tide’s latest crop of recruits once again ranks at the top of nearly every recruiting service’s list.

But which players out of this 2015 signing class have the best chance to make an immediate impact?

First, let’s take a quick look back at last year’s signing class for some recent history on what kind of impact a first-year player typically has in Saban’s system. The Tide signed 26 players in the 2014 signing class. Of those 26 players, 2 were not on the team, 10 redshirted, 5 played in late game “mop up” duty, 5 were role players or relied on as backups, and 4 were starters (2 of which were junior college transfers).

To predict which players will make the most noise, we need to take a close look at what positions are open, and what competition exists for the incoming freshman.

The Tide unofficially “started” 15 guys on 2014’s offense, and will return just 5 of those 15. Bama will be breaking in 3 new starters on the offensive line — both guard spots and right tackle, as well as finding a new tight end, full back/h-back, running back, quarterback, and filling all 3 receiver spots.

Returning starters include left tackle Cam Robinson, center Ryan Kelly, tight end OJ Howard, running back Derrick Henry, and multi-purpose back Kenyan Drake. 10 other guys played a role or filled in as a substitute at different times throughout the 2014 season, including guard/center Bradley Bozeman, right guard Alphonse Taylor, right tackle Grant Hill, tight end Brandon Greene, receivers Cam Sims, ArDarius Stewart, Chris Black, and Raheem Falkins, running back Tyren Jones, and quarterback Jake Coker.

Fortunately for Alabama, Unlike the offense, the 2015 defense will return a lot of experience. Bama “started” 17 players on defense in 2014, and return 12 of those 17, losing starters at both safety positions, the “money” position, inside linebacker, and nose guard. Bama returns 5 of the 6 defensive lineman that were in the regular rotation last season, Jonathan Allen, A’Shawn Robinson, Jarran Reed, DJ Pettway, and Dalvin Tomlinson. Returning starting outside linebackers include Denzel DeVall and Dillon Lee, with Reggie Ragland returning on the inside. The secondary returns Cyrus Jones, Eddie Jackson, Geno Smith, and Jabriel Washington. Several other guys return to next years team that saw critical game action in ’14, including: defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand, nose guard Darren Lake, outside linebackers Tim Williams and Rashaan Evans, inside linebackers Reuben Foster and Shaun Dion Hamilton, “star” defensive back Mo Smith, and corners Tony Brown and Bradley Sylve.

Based on the positions that are open, here are our top 10 signee’s with a chance to make an impact during the 2015 season.

10. Joshua McMillan, 6’3″ 246 pound LB from Memphis, Tennessee. Inside Linebacker is not a position where a true freshman will likely be able to walk in and start, but it is a position in need of added depth, and McMillan will be relied on to provide it. He’s a guy to watch on special teams as well.

9. Lester Cotton: 6’4″ 321 pound OL from Tuscaloosa, AL. Cotton is a big time talent who projects best as a guard in college. However, considering Bama’s numbers at offensive tackle, we could see him start out at tackle. Lester will have the opportunity to avoid a redshirt, and could be relied on to provide depth at tackle.

8. Hale Hentges, 6’4″ 228 pound TE from Jefferson City, Missouri. Hentges may not be ideal size-wise in year one, but the Tide is thin at TE, and may be forced to rely on him to play a part in filling the void left by Brian Vogler and Jalston Fowler.

7. Desherrius Flowers, 6’0″ 212 pound RB from Prichard, Alabama. While he might get a look at safety, benefiting from enrolling early and having extra time in the strength and conditioning program, it’s more likely that he will be groomed for the FB/HB role that Jalston Fowler played. He and Redshirt freshman Ronnie Clark are both candidates to fill some pretty big shoes left by Fowler. This is an interesting one because I believe he will have an impact next season, but it could be in a number of different ways, and we won’t know until spring exactly what the coaches are planning on doing with him.

6. Daylon Charlot, 6’0″ 175 pound WR from Patterson, Louisiana. Charlot will provide depth at WR and may develop a role in the offense as the year goes on, but his biggest opportunity to make an early impact could be in the return game.

5. Deionte Thompson, 6’1″ 175 pound DB from Orange, Texas. Thompson is another early enrollee in the secondary where there is plenty of opportunity. He can play corner or safety. It will be worth watching what the coaches do with him during spring practice. Regardless, expect to see him on the field in 2015, though it might be mostly on special teams.

4. Bo Scarbrough, 6’2″ 235 pound RB from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Bo originally signed with the 2014 class, but did not qualify in time for last season. He enrolled for the spring semester and practiced with the team in Tuscaloosa during Sugar Bowl preparation. Scarbrough is a freak athlete with a unique skill set for his size. Running back isn’t exactly an open position heading into 2015, but Bo can be used in a variety of ways, and it will be surprising if he does not play on special teams, as well as developing into a role player on offense.

3. Jonathan Taylor, 6’5″ 335 pound NG from Millen, Georgia. Taylor is a junior college transfer and early enrollee at a position where the tide will be replacing last year’s starter, Brandon Ivory. Taylor’s signing was controversial due to off-the-field issues, but the reason the Bama staff stuck with him will be apparent against pro style offenses.

2. Ronnie Harrison, 6’2″ 192 pound DB from Tallahassee, Florida. Harrison can play either corner or safety, but safety is likely where we will see him. Not only is he at a position that is wide open heading into the spring, he also has the advantage of enrolling early, which has proven over recent years to be a huge boost for incoming freshman.

1. Calvin Ridley, 6’0″ 178 pound WR from Coconut Creek, Florida. Bama has talent already on campus at WR, but none of them have much game experience, and losing 3 starters at this position will mean opportunity for a guy like Ridley, who has a similar skill set to Amari Cooper.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Thayer Evans, former Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker will become Alabama’s new secondary coach.

Tucker coming on board will officially mean that Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart will no longer be coaching the safeties, a position he moved to prior to last season. Evans reported that Smart will move back to focusing on inside linebackers.

Tucker’s most recent coaching stop was with the Chicago Bears. He was left without a job when Bears head coach Marc Trestman lost his earlier in the offseason. Tucker previously worked under Alabama head coach Nick Saban as a graduate assistant at Michigan State from 1997-98, and as a defensive backs coach at LSU in 2000. He has spent time coaching defensive backs at Ohio State, Miami of Ohio and the Cleveland Browns, and was an NFL defensive coordinator or co-defensive coordinator in Jacksonville, Cleveland and finally Chicago. Tucker was also the interim head coach of the Jaguars for five games in 2011.

His two seasons in Chicago were two of the worst in the team’s history, a time in which theyset records for the most yards and most points given up in a single season. But Tucker has years of experience at the highest level of football and clearly has an understanding of Saban’s defense. But he’ll have his work cut out for him.

Alabama gave up an average of 226 passing yards and 19 passing touchdowns last season, with only 11 interceptions. Other than Cyrus Jones, the cornerback position was a consistent point of weakness, and safety wasn’t much better. Star safety Landon Collins is headed to the NFL and two of the other four safeties that played regularly have graduated.

Alabama has plenty of talent waiting in the wings and coming in from high school, but Tucker will have to sort out a secondary that hasn’t produced at a consistently high level during the last two seasons.

With newly promoted outside linebackers coach Tosh Lupoi and now Tucker on board, Saban and the team hopes the new coaches can force change to happen sooner rather than later.

Having lost the Sugar Bowl for the second consecutive season, Alabama now faces the offseason with a few question marks, including: Who forgoes their senior season to turn pro? Who will be next year’s starting quarterback? Will the secondary be able to drastically improve going into next season?

With these questions in mind, here are the five biggest story lines for Alabama football in 2015.

1: Those who go pro

Other than the seniors who have no choice but to leave — Blake Sims, Austin Shepherd, Arie Kouandjio, Brian Vogler, Trey DePriest, Nick Perry, etc. — there shouldn’t be too Alabama many underclassmen declaring for this year’s NFL Draft.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban and his staff meet with players during this time and evaluate them, giving them a draft grade of first round, second round, or “stay in school.” Some players buck the advice of staying in school like safety Vinnie Sunseri did last season, but for the most part there are few surprises when it comes to players leaving early.

The locks to the NFL are junior wide receiver Amari Cooper and safety Landon Collins. They are top 10 talents in the eyes of NFL scouts and should go highly in the draft. Linebacker Reggie Ragland and defensive linemen Xzavier Dickson, D.J. Pettway and Jarran Reed could all turn pro, as could cornerback Cyrus Jones. They would all probably be drafted in later rounds. But it would make more sense for them to return to Alabama and improve their standing in the eyes of the NFL decision-makers.

The only wild card in the bunch is running back T.J. Yeldon. The Alabama runner was hampered by injuries for much of the season, but shined when he was healthy. With the usually short lifespan of running backs in the NFL, Yeldon might not be able to afford to take another year of pounding for free. He may not be as highly drafted as Cooper or Collins, but he would definitely be picked.

2: Recruiting the next wave

The cavalry is coming.

Assuming everything goes as planned — or stays as it currently stands — Alabama will have its fourth consecutive top-ranked recruiting class.

According to Rivals.com, Alabama has commitments from the No. 1 dual threat quarterback, wide receiver and offensive lineman, with solid verbals from the second-ranked player at four other positions. Alabama has five 5-star recruits and 13 four-star recruits committed to the cause in 2015, and it could be Saban’s best recruiting class (on paper) ever — though we were all saying that last year.

National Signing Day is Feb. 5 and is usually a ceremony with few surprises for Alabama. The team will be No. 1 again, and the reinforcements for graduating and NFL-ing players are on their way.

3: Finding a quarterback

With fifth-year senior and emotional leader Blake Sims on his way out, Alabama will have another quarterback battle in 2015.

Former Florida State transfer Jake Coker is assumed to be the favorite to fill the role, but the same was said of him last season. Coker has a rocket arm and a healthier knee that is now nearly a year and a half removed from his ACL tear.

The Mobile, Ala. product won’t have this job handed to him — which he knows — and will have to fend off at least three younger signal-callers for the spot.

Cooper Bateman is a redshirt sophomore and was the best-looking quarterback in last year’s A-Day spring game. He has mobility and athleticism, and spent 2014 mostly doing his best impersonation of Dak Prescott, Cardale Jones and other opposing quarterbacks during the practice weeks.

Rising redshirt freshman David Cornwell had a similar injury to Coker’s, but was the star passing recruit in Alabama’s 2013 class, and could challenge for the starting slot.

And finally, incoming five-star recruit Blake Barnett is the No. 1 ranked dual threat quarterback in the country. He has already enrolled at Alabama, and will get a jump on the recruits arriving in the fall. It’s unlikely that the team would pick a true freshman to be its starter, but considering a former DB and running back just led the Tide to the SEC Championship, stranger things have definitely happened.

4: Finding a secondary

In its final three games, Alabama gave up an average of 226 passing yards a game, which is the most surrendered by a Saban defense in his eight years at the school. They struggled most in obvious passing situations. When it was third and long against Auburn, Missouri or Ohio State, it was already assumed that a pass for more than 10 yards would be completed against Alabama’s secondary.

Cornerback was an issue this season, but it wasn’t the constant revolving door it was in 2013. Jones emerged as the team’s best corner, with Eddie Jackson and Bradley Sylve as his partners on the other side. Freshman Tony Brown will be a year older, as will the redshirted Hoover product Marlon Humphrey. Incoming five-star recruits Minkah Fitzpatrick and Kendall Sheffield will also compete for time at a cornerback position that won’t lose anyone from this season.

The spot with the most questions surrounding it is safety.

With Collins and Perry leaving, along with Jarrick Williams, only one of the four regular starters at the position will remain. While Geno Smith has been good at times, filling the other slots could be a challenge. Alabama has rising sophomore Laurence “Hootie” Jones prepared to take over one of the vacant spots, with five-star Deionte Thompson being tapped as one new recruit who could see early playing time.

5: Adjusting the defense

Alabama’s defense may need the same kind of jolt that Lane Kiffin brought to an offense that had grown a bit stale.

During his Sugar Bowl media availability, Kiffin commended Saban for his constant drive to adapt. After consecutive losses in the Sugar Bowl and games against Auburn and Missouri that saw the Tide’s vaunted defense give up record yardage, you can bet Saban will be ready to huddle with Kirby Smart and adjust.

This won’t be the first time Saban has had to tweak his schemes. The Alabama defenses that have been so successful in recent years were an adaptation of what Saban did as a defensive coordinator in the NFL. When more and more NFL teams started going to the spread offense, he was forced to adjust his 3 deep zone. The changes he made to the role middle linebackers play in his scheme led to studs like Rolando McClain, Dont’a Hightower and C.J. Mosley becoming All-Americans, and ultimately pros.

The defense’s core identity should and will stay the same, but some adjustments are once again needed to deal with college football’s faster-paced offenses that employ athletic quarterbacks.

Don’t bet against Saban on this. He’s proven he can adapt.

Though Alabama already has 23 SEC championships, the next one is always the most significant.

The Crimson Tide is no stranger to playing in high profile games. With a fan base that is unsatisfied with anything short of a national championship, every game carries a lot of weight. So in some ways, this Saturday’s SEC Championship contest against Missouri is no different than any other weekend Tide players put on the Crimson and White — it’s a must-win.

“(P)laying in this league, you play in a lot of big games and this is just another one of them,” said Alabama cornerback Cyrus Jones. “It just so happens this just has more stakes on the table… But you can’t let it overtake your mind. You’ve just got to approach it like any other game.”

But no matter how much the preparation stays the same, for many players — especially the ones with less experience — it’s hard not to feel the anticipation and excitement build as the goal of a dream season inches closer to becoming a reality.

“I think everybody understands the magnitude of the game, I think everybody understands the consequences of the game one way or the other,” said Alabama head coach Nick Saban.

But outside of that, Saban is sick of talking about it and ready to get his team on the field in Atlanta.

“You know, I’ve been getting asked that question ever since we started playing SEC games,” Saban said. “When we played Florida, ‘What’s the magnitude of this game? How big of a game is this?’ Then the Ole Miss game, ‘How big of a game was that?

“Every game we’ve played all year it’s the same question, so I’ve got the same answer: It’s the most important game because it’s the next game. And it’s the next game that has an importance because of what the players have created for themselves, and they’ve created a great opportunity to play against a great Missouri team.”

While Saban respectfully refers to Missouri as “great,” Alabama shouldn’t have any problems with the Tigers. They may have won the SEC East this season, but they also lost at home to a 4-8 Indiana team and were on the wrong side of a 34-0 blowout against Georgia.

The Tigers’ offense is operated by dynamic quarterback Maty Mauk, who has the ability to do some damage with his legs, but it lacks the firepower of many of the other teams Alabama has played. It even lacks the star power of last year’s SEC East champion Missouri squad. 2013 standouts like wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham, running back Henry Josey, defensive linemen Kony Ealy and 2013 co-SEC defensive player of the year Michael Sam are all no longer on the team.

Mizzou does, however, have a solid front seven who excel in the pass rush. But if Alabama can protect quarterback Blake Sims, the Crimson Tide should win handily and with a lot less drama than in recent weeks.

Alabama should also get the majority of its players back from injury, with the exception of linebacker Denzel Devall, who has only just returned to practice after weeks of recovering from an ankle surgery.

The one concern is that the Crimson Tide have sometimes played poorly away from Bryant-Denny stadium this season, and have a tendency to get off to a poor start. Even in the Georgia Dome — a neutral site — in Week 1, the team started slowly before finishing well.

This team has grown into something special over the course of the season, though, and with its second trip to the Georgia Dome this year, appears to be ready to claim its spot in the inaugural College Football Playoff.

“I think the team has great resiliency, I think they have great competitive character, and I think that probably starts with the leadership on the team,” Saban said. “Sometimes when the chips are down, it’s brought out the best in all these guys.”

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.–While both Alabama and Auburn have earned their reputation for being strong running teams, this year’s Iron Bowl may be decided through the air.

Alabama’s passing game is on a torrid pace under new offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin and quarterback Blake Sims, and should be primed for a big weekend against an Auburn defense that allows 232 passing yards per game.

Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper stands out as a possible difference maker, with his record-breaking season of 90 receptions for 1,349 yards and 11 touchdowns. He is third in the nation in receiving yards and has been named as one of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award that goes to the nation’s top receiver.

Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said Cooper may be the best playmaker in college football and is an impossible player to mimic in practice.

“You can put a jersey on somebody who has the same number, but to simulate one of the best players in college football, that’s probably not realistic,” Malzahn said. “You do the best you can.”

Alabama could be without two members of its passing attack, though, with tight end Brian Vogler and wide receiver ArDarius Stewart both “very questionable” for the game after stretching knee ligaments against Western Carolina. But Alabama has other receivers and tight ends ready if needed.

On the other side of the field, Auburn has two of its own star wideouts — Sammie Coates and Duke Williams — who will present a constant challenge to Alabama’s secondary. Williams leads the Tigers in receiving with 38 catches for 609 yards and five touchdowns and should return against Alabama after missing two straight games with a knee sprain. Coates has 511 yards receiving on 25 catches with two touchdowns.

Alabama has faced large, dynamic receivers already this season in Ole Miss’ Laquon Treadwell and Miss. State’s De’Runnya Wilson. Auburn’s duo is very similar, both listed at 6-foot-2 and possessing the physicality needed to create separation from smaller cornerbacks. Saban noted that they’re two of the best in the country when it comes to catch radius.

“It’s going to be a challenge for our guys,” Saban said. “They’re going to have to use great technique, really good eye control in terms of what they’re doing, but it’s got to be a team thing.”

Going against these two receivers will be Alabama’s starting cornerbacks Eddie Jackson and Cyrus Jones, who are listed at 6-foot and 5-foot-10, respectively.

Jones, a converted wide receiver who only started four games in 2013, has stepped up this season and become a reliable player. Through 11 games, Jones has 35 total tackles, 11 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and two interceptions, including one critical pick against Miss. State quarterback Dak Prescott in the end zone.

Jones prides himself on being physical and battling with these much larger receivers.

“You just can’t let them manhandle you,” Jones said. “You’ve got to be physical right back with them, especially if you’re a smaller guy such as myself.

“It’s just important to be in position at all times to kind of be ready to make a play when the ball’s in the air and not let them get on top of you down the field. It’s going to be a good challenge but I’m excited about it.”

With last season’s consecutive losses to Auburn and Oklahoma, the question of the offseason for Alabama was whether it could keep up with the proliferation of hurry-up, no-huddle offenses.

An improved secondary was crucial, and Alabama safeties Landon Collins and Nick Perry say the team is ready for Auburn’s high-tempo offense after spending countless hours preparing in practice.

Having a dual-threat quarterback like Sims has also helped the Crimson Tide prepare to defend mobile quarterbacks like Auburn’s Nick Marshall, who has the ability to extends plays by tucking and running or scrambling to buy a few more seconds for Williams and Coates to break open.

“We just got to come out, be honest and not get too excited about [Marshall] running or him throwing it,” Jones said. “We’ve just got to play our keys and play the defense like we’ve been taught to.”

Both Auburn and Alabama are known for their run games, and both will most likely rely on them for the majority of the game. But explosive plays in the passing game, which both teams are capable of doing, could be the deciding factor for one team or the other.

It is the most memorable ending to a college football game — maybe ever.

It’s been played and replayed thousands of times. It won an ESPY Award. Verne Lundquist ranked it the best sporting event he’s ever called.

But a year removed from the now (in)famous Kick-Six Iron Bowl, Alabama is No. 1 again, and ready to rid itself of the specter of last year’s game.

This year’s Alabama team has many new faces in new places — at quarterback and offensive coordinator to name a couple — but they still remember the ending. How could they not?

However, if their comments to the media this week are any indication, most of the Tide won’t be watching the Kick-Six before game time, even for an extra dose motivation.

Quarterback Blake Sims says he turns it off any time it’s played. Cornerback Cyrus Jones claims to have never seen the replay of it — not even once. Defensive lineman Jonathan Allen doesn’t seek it out on purpose, but concedes he has used it to his advantage in the past.

“I just view it as more motivation for me throughout the whole offseason,” Allen said. “There is no more extra emphasis on this game than last game, but it’s definitely motivation for us.”

The teams are in different places than they were last season. With a win, Alabama is headed to the SEC Championship game. Auburn’s best hope to salvage its season is to play spoiler to its arch-rival’s title aspirations.

So every time they’re asked about last year’s game, the players quickly shift the focus to what’s ahead, rather then rehashing the past.

“I could care less about last year. It was a completely different team,” Alabama offensive lineman Austin Shepherd quipped. “It’s a new a team, and I think we have a great opportunity. We’ve set ourselves up for success, so we’ve just got to go out there and finish the season off.”

But it’s hard to fathom the Kick-Six not at least being in the back of their minds. Shepherd, for example, was on the field for the return and probably doesn’t need to see it to remember the shock. But going into his final Iron Bowl and final game in Bryant-Denny Stadium, he also doesn’t believe lightning will strike twice.

“A lot of people are lucky and they got lucky,” Shepherd said. “Luck happens.”

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — With homecoming this weekend and the Iron Bowl next Saturday, Alabama’s seniors — a group that has experienced both championships and heartbreak on the football field — only have two home games left in their college careers.

This team is No. 1, like many Alabama teams have been in the past, but the rapport this year’s leaders have with younger players feels different than last season.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban and the seniors themselves acknowledged that.

“We have a very good group of seniors this year, we have a very good leadership group,” Saban said. “I think… the best thing about our seniors is they’re really well-liked by their teammates. I think that really starts with the fact that they care and they care about other people on the team and they’re willing to spend time to help the other people on the team…I think that’s made the team chemistry really good.”

Saban has already talked about this team not having any “energy vampires,” which is Saban-speak for players that demand coaches’ attention and distract the team. The players are motivated and communicate well, and leaders have emerged, sometimes surprisingly.

“Some of the guys that are doing a really good job of that, without me mentioning any names, are actually guys that struggled maybe early on being able to do those types of things,” Saban said. “When it was their turn to take a leadership role, regardless of what their role was on the team, they really did it in a first-class way and that’s been very helpful with team chemistry.”

Alabama senior wide receiver Christion Jones said the atmosphere among players is similar to that of 2011 — a national title-winning season. Jones also mentioned Jalston Fowler, Blake Sims and DeAndrew White on the offensive side as guys who have really stepped up.

“Everybody is comfortable with each other from the seniors to the freshmen,” Jones said. “Everybody has a good vibe. We haven’t had any problems on the team amongst each other with dislike or any outcasts.”

This is a different story from a team that had a cloud of disarray around it following last season’s consecutive losses to Auburn and Oklahoma. Former Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron repeatedly blamed the younger players on the team for not buying in and called some players on the team selfish. Even Saban said the team needed a hard restart after last season’s poor finish.

Teach chemistry was clearly a problem last year, and it become evident in post-season interviews. But Alabama cornerback Cyrus Jones had only positive things to say about the Tide’s bond this season.

“This year everybody’s so tight; it’s a well-knit group,” Jones said. “There aren’t really cliques on the team, everybody pretty much hangs out with each other all the time, has each other’s backs. Once you have that cohesiveness — especially with the leaders — it just trickles down to everybody else. I think this team is on the right track.”

The No. 1 team in the nation is playing in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Saturday, and for once it isn’t the Crimson Tide.

The team that is so accustomed to success and respect has to prove itself this weekend when Mississippi State, its Heisman hopeful quarterback and its undefeated record come to town. The past glory is thrown out, and all that matters is this game.

“What’s happened in the past, it really doesn’t matter. Nothing matters,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. “What matters is they have a very good team, they’ve played very well. They have a very significant amount of things that they’ve been able to accomplish this year so far in going 9-0 and beating some good teams.”

Following an arduous overtime win against LSU, Alabama will have to quickly recover to face the top-ranked Bulldogs. Typically, Alabama starts slowly in the week following LSU, losing to Johnny Manziel’s Texas A&M two seasons ago, and playing poorly against Miss. State last season. Alabama under Saban hasn’t scored a first quarter touchdown in the game following LSU, and usually averages fewer points in the post-LSU game than the rest of the season.

Normally, Miss. State is a reprieve for Alabama to get rested up before it plays Auburn, but not this season. The Bulldogs and their quarterback Dak Prescott are the team to beat in the SEC, and in the entire country for that matter.

Alabama gave up some crucial yardage on the ground, especially on third downs, to LSU’s quarterback Anthony Jennings, and Prescott is similarly prone to run. Alabama’s defense has specifically planned for that this week in practice, using scout team quarterback Cooper Bateman in Prescott’s place.

“Cooper Bateman is very athletic, very fast,” Saban said. “Probably runs less than 4.6 and does a really, really good job. He’s been the scout team player of the week several times this year and certainly has done a really good job this week. You have to have someone who can be that type of guy or you really can’t prepare your defense for what they’re going to see.”

Saban attributed LSU’s running quarterback success to the defense not doing its job up front. Saban said the front should be more disciplined when it rushes the passer and not necessarily worry about hitting the quarterback.

“I think what’s really critical in games like this is guys want to get sacks so bad, and that’s why sacks have nothing to with being successful as a defensive team,” Saban said. “It’s pushing the pocket and making the quarterback throw the ball in the pocket. When you press the pocket against him so he can’t step up and attack the middle of the field or step up and run.”

Prescott is 6-foot-2, 235 pounds and has 2,231 yards passing with 18 touchdowns, and 739 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. He is a frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy and poses a serious threat to Alabama’s playoff hopes.

“[Prescott’s] an all-around athlete, a big guy who can run, has a great arm, and manages their offense well,” Alabama cornerback Cyrus Jones said. “It’s definitely going to be a challenge for us as a defense, but I think with our preparation as a defense, we’re going to be ready.”

Alabama, under Saban’s tutelage, is 3-1 against No. 1 teams, but the team doesn’t see a number in front of the opponent. (Jones had to ask reporters where Alabama was ranked in the playoff poll, though, him not knowing may be a ruse.) The players only focus is on the opponent at hand and they let the rest take care of itself.

“We try not to worry about what the rankings are,” Jones said. “We understand it’s definitely a big game, and it’s going to take a valiant effort for us to come out with the win. It’s going to be a tough SEC-type game, but rankings really don’t matter once you step on the field.”