Nick Saban faces challenges head on

TUSCALOOSA — Alabama’s summer conditioning program rolls on as football coach Nick Saban takes care of the last of the summer camps before a brief retreat to his summer place in Georgia.

Saban took a timeout and met with reporters in Tuscaloosa for a quick update Thursday.

Among his tasks in advance of the opening of training camp on Aug. 5 and the first practice on Aug. 6 will be cramming a size 15 foot — the number of signees joining the program —  into the size 10 shoe — the size of the roster.

Last year’s team had just nine scholarship seniors. Saban signed 27 standouts in landing what some rated the No. 1 recruiting class for the second year in a row.

Academics, injuries and early exits will all play a factor with the number of newcomers, several of whom may have to be grayshirted.

“We’ve got a couple guys injured that we may hold back if they’re not ready to go by August,” Saban said. “But I’d rather not be specific and give you names right now because it’s not fair academically, when it comes to that side of it.”

The coach said his returning players are healthy for the most part. Tight end Colin Peek isn’t at full speed with a foot injury that plagued him in bowl preparations and lingered through spring practice.

“We’re not letting him go full right now because we’re trying to buy as much time as we can,” Saban said. “He could probably go now.

“But everybody else is out there and doing well and working hard. Players have done a good job since they’ve been back. We haven’t had lots of issues or problems in terms of work ethic, attitude, academics or any of those things.”

Star wide receiver Julio Jones, recovering from sports hernia surgery, is “OK,” Saban said. The coach also said placekicker Leigh Tiffin, who was beaten up in a parking lot earlier this spring, is running every day and is healthy.