LOS ANGELES — In the wake of Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal, Alabama has taken extra precautions to avoid any
intrusions by changing the way its players watch practice film in advance of the College Football Playoff semifinal at
the Rose Bowl.
“We’re just trying to secure our stuff,” Alabama running back Jase McClellan said. “[The coaches] didn’t do much
explaining. They just did it, told us and we adjusted to it.”
According to several players who spoke Thursday, while they typically had been able to have film on their iPads and take it home to watch it on their own time, players have no longer been able to do that as they prepare for the playoff
game.
Wide receiver Isaiah Bond remarked, “I believe they stated Michigan was pilfering signs for the first eight weeks or something similar.” “So we’re just watching film with the team, because we’re not allowed to watch film on our own;
we don’t want any stuff like that happening again.”
This season, opponents have altered their in-game signs and the manner in which they convey them in response to
Michigan’s accusations that they are stealing their signals.
In addition to seemingly instructing players not to use their iPads for film study, McClellan clarified that practice film is no longer uploaded to players’ devices by Alabama; instead, it is stored in the main computer system for
players to view with their position groups while at the practice facility.
Offensive lineman Tyler Booker stated, “We just have to go to a different location to watch film, but we’re all watching the film as we normally would for a normal game.” “The way the movie is configured with the server
suggests that there might be a connection. All we know is that we need to approach the preparation like we would
any other game.”
“We get used to it; we watch film on a daily basis, but on our own time we don’t get to watch it on our own now,”
McClellan stated. “Everyone just gathers to watch it. It’s not a drawback in my opinion because we’ve had a few
weeks to watch movies.”
While a number of Alabama players acknowledged the technological shifts in how people watch films, offensive
coach Tommy Rees would not respond to inquiries about the topic.”I’m not going to get into the whole film thing like
that,” Rees replied. “I’m not discussing it. Giving our players the best opportunity to succeed on the field is our
responsibility, as I mentioned earlier. We’re intent on achieving our goal, which is
Jalen Milroe, the quarterback for Alabama, dismissed the idea that the team’s preparation is being hampered by his inability to watch video alone.
