Sophomore linebacker VanDarius Cowan has missed Alabama’s last two spring practices due to academics.
Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban explained Cowan’s situation following Tuesday afternoon’s two-hour workout. That was Alabama’s fourth this spring and the first in full pads.
“I’m not going to be specific here, but we have rules about academics,” Saban said Tuesday night in a news conference. “We check guys in terms of what they’re supposed to do, and we define the standard of expectations that we have for class attendance and tutors.
“When guys do not do this to the standard we’ve created for all the players here, they can’t practice or play until they get it right.”
Cowan, a 6-foot-4, 236-pounder from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., was a top-100 prospect in the 2017 class and was on track to redshirt last year until the Crimson Tide’s injuries at linebacker started to mount. He played for the first time in the 45-7 win over Tennessee and wound up getting in seven games, including the Iron Bowl and playoff contests against Clemson and Georgia.