Alabama will begin its 12th spring under coach Nick Saban on Tuesday afternoon.
It will be the fifth March with Saban in which the Crimson Tide will open workouts as college football's reigning national champions. That alone will make this different from last year, when Saban was using "Don't waste a failure" as a motto after Alabama's 35-31 loss to Clemson in the title game for the 2016 season.
"You have to have a completely different mindset when you're trying to prove something as opposed to proving it and responding from that," Saban told the SEC Network earlier this month. "It's a totally different mindset when you have success, and I think the big thing is that the players have to remember what helped them be successful. What this team is going to accomplish will be determined by what they do in the future and not by what they've done in the past.
"So far, we've had a pretty good offseason."
The Crimson Tide return plenty of talent but had a nation-leading 14 former players invited to last month's NFL combine, and there is no bigger spring topic in the sport than the quarterback situation in Tuscaloosa.
Here are five storylines facing Alabama entering the first of 15 spring workouts:
Uh, the quarterbacks
Jalen Hurts is 26-2 as Alabama's starter and was named Southeastern Conference offensive player of the year as a freshman in 2016.
And he's the underdog.
Hurts led Alabama to just 89 first-half yards against Georgia in January's national championship game in Atlanta. Tua Tagovailoa came in at the start of the third quarter and turned a 13-0 deficit into a 26-23 overtime triumph he sealed with a gorgeous 41-yard touchdown strike to DeVonta Smith.
Tagovailoa already has shown to have superior passing elements - his 175.0 efficiency rating last year was notably higher than the 150.2 of Hurts - but can he be dominant enough to swipe the role in the weeks ahead?
"Both have guys have an opportunity to compete for a position, and how they respond to that is very important," Saban said. "Both guys are good players. We would have never gotten where we were without Jalen, and we would have never been able to finish without Tua. We respect both players, and we want them to continue to grow and improve and be the best players they can be.
"If they can both contribute to the team, we'll certainly try to utilize it in that way."
Secondary rebuild
Five of Alabama's 14 combine invitees were defensive backs, leaving Saban and new secondary coach Karl Scott with the challenge of replacing Anthony Averett, Tony Brown, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Ronnie Harrison and Levi Wallace. A sixth defensive back who played a lot, Hootie Jones, also must be replaced.
Cornerback Trevon Diggs and safety Deionte Thompson are two building blocks from which to start a foundation this spring, with former LSU five-star signee Saivion Smith having the potential to make an impact in the upcoming weeks. More help will arrive this summer, with Alabama having signed Patrick Surtain Jr., the nation's No. 1 corner.
Among those looking to make an upward move in the secondary this spring are Shyheim Carter, Nigel Knott, Jared Mayden and Xavier McKinney.
Growing up
The secondary is the most prominent example, but Alabama has an abundance of roles that need to be filled. Calvin Ridley was the program's premier receiver last season, while Da'Ron Payne was the most menacing interior defensive lineman.
"For almost everybody on the team, their role changes," Saban said. "Some guys who were good players last year didn't need to be good leaders, but now they have to embrace that role. Some guys were backups and played on special teams, but now they have to take the responsibility of being a starter, which means more preparation and better attention to detail and more consistency in performance.
"Then you've got some guys who didn't play but are going to have that opportunity, and they're going to have to learn how to get ready to play. Almost everybody's role changes."
Defensive leader
Alabama hasn't lacked for leaders at middle linebacker in recent seasons, as reflected by the likes of Rashaan Evans, Reuben Foster, Shaun Dion Hamilton and Reggie Ragland. Evans and Hamilton are moving on to the NFL, and replacements Dylan Moses and Mack Wilson are former five-star signees who combined for 70 tackles last season.
There is no questioning the talents of Moses and Wilson, but now they will have to lead with some potential assistance from fifth-year senior Keith Holcombe.
Kicking situation
JK Scott punted 243 times for 11,074 yards and a 45.6-yard average throughout his four-year career, and his departure could leave the biggest shoes to fill on the roster. Alabama signed a punter, Skyler Delong, in the 2018 class, and he enrolled in January.
Kicker Andy Pappanastos did not quite leave a lasting legacy like Scott, badly missing a field goal late in regulation against Georgia. Freshman Joseph Bulovas is the favorite for the kicking role this spring, with Temple graduate transfer Austin Jones set to arrive in the summer.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.