• How players are dealing with the heat in camp •

• 2023 Bama Sports 2023 •  Tuscaloosa, AL The fact that it’s hot in Alabama isn’t news. It’d be more noteworthy if the state dropped into more comfortable temperatures in August. Small comfort for the football players at Alabama’s flagship university. Crimson Tide athletes are in the midst of preseason camp and the fact that it gets hot every year doesn’t make the field any cooler. “That heat is something different,” defensive lineman Jaheim Oatis said Monday. One of Nick Saban’s major points of emphasis this camp has been focus. He wants the team zeroing in on every play, trying to eliminate some of the late-game gaffes that cost Alabama last season against LSU and Tennessee. That’s harder when the heat index sits over 105 degrees like it did during the Tide’s first scrimmage on Saturday. However, the head coach mentioned wanting his squad to deal with challenges. The temperature certainly qualifies. “This is a great opportunity, in these circumstances, for us to be able to preserve some difficult things to overcome adversity,” Saban said. “I don’t think you could be a great competitor if you can’t overcome adversity, because adversity is coming some kind of way.” With temps where they are, players have to be smart. For JC Latham, a 335-pound offensive tackle, nutrition is a key. • ROLLING WITH THE TIDE •