For the first time since fall of 2021, Alabama football held a portion of practice in Tuscaloosa open to reporters on Wednesday.

It marked the second spring practice under Kalen DeBoer since he took over for Nick Saban this offseason. A fairly sunny 70-degree afternoon served as the backdrop for the viewing period, which lasted about 30 minutes.

There were no real big team drills during the time reporters got to watch practice. It was primarily individual drills. There were still a few items of interest, though. Here are some of the things we learned, noted and saw during the viewing period.

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General practice notes

Music blared throughout the practice with multiple speakers blasting it.

When Alabama was running drills early on for defense, position groups would rotate between stations while the coaches stayed at that specific drill. So position coaches didn't travel with his group. He stayed at a station and worked with the new set of players.

The practice had plenty of energy and felt relatively fast paced.

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A couple notes on assistant coaches, specifically Kane Wommack

The new defensive coordinator was plenty involved and plenty vocal. Even during the individual drill portion, he was floating some and gave plenty of feedback. During one drill that assistant coach Maurice Linguist was running, Wommack joined in for a bit and gave pointers sometimes with praise other times. He'd high-five guys or he would even demonstrate himself how to do it better. He seems very much hands-on and eager to coach. Wommack gave Malachi Moore a big high-five at one point after the defensive back did the drill to his liking.

Speaking of Linguist, one of the co-defensive coordinators and secondary coaches, he seemed pretty vocal and energized, too. It makes sense considering both he and Wommack were FBS head coaches before joining the Crimson Tide.

Player notes

• Keon Keeley was spending time with the defensive line. The defensive system is expected to be different under Wommack than it would have been under Saban with Wommack bringing his "Swarm" defense. That means there might be some shuffling between defensive line and edge rusher. So Keeley, who was recruited as an edge rusher for Saban's system, is getting a look on the defensive line it appears.

• For what it's worth, the quarterback pecking order through drills seemed to be Jalen Milroe, Ty Simpson, Austin Mack then Dylan Lonergan. There's probably not much to read into that, though. It's only the second spring practice and a lot will play out between now and the season. It makes sense the more experienced players are getting the first opportunities.

• Mack throws a nice pass. He also stands out immediately because of his height as a 6-foot-6 quarterback. His progress will be intriguing.

Kalen DeBoer at practice

DeBoer was mainly with the offense during the portion the media viewed, which makes sense considering that's his specialty. He was looking on as the quarterbacks and running backs went through a hand-off drill together. But DeBoer also went over to the defensive drills right as the viewing period ended.

Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men's basketball. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football practice: Nuggets from March 6 spring practice