There was a good bit of hype surrounding Alabama running back and former top recruit Bo Scarbrough heading into the 2016 season for the Tide and most felt the Tide backfield wouldn't miss a beat with Scarbrough ready to take over for Derek Henry. However in the Tide's opener against USC Scarbrough wasn't the dominant presence out the backfield, that was Damien Harris.
Nick Saban and the coaching staff aren't disappointed in Scarbrough, but Saban told the press that Scarbrough still has some work to do to become the great running back so many expect him to be.
"I think attention to detail in some things would probably help him have more success, and that's why we practice," Saban said. "And that's why we're going to continue to try to help him improve on those things so that he can have the kind of success that he'd like to have."
Saban and company are also not worried about any expectations placed on Scarbrough's success, they are only worried about developing him into the player they believe he can be.
"I think expectations are an external factor that players have to put out of their mind and understand that — whether it's in preparation, how you manage your roles, you've got to focus on the main thing, keep the main thing the main thing, which is what do I have to do to go out there and execute and play well," Saban said. "And that's going to give me the best opportunity to get the results that I want. Creating anxiety for somebody's expectation or what somebody thinks I ought to do is not beneficial to performance at all. We try to get our players to understand that."
Look for Scarbrough to try and get his season rolling against Western Kentucky in Saturday's home opener for the Tide.
