The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-09-09
AS MEN BEGIN TO REPORT ALABAMA STOCK GOES DOWN
Line Is Hard Hit, But Back field Looks Promising For
 Coming Season

UNIVERSITY. Ala, Sept. S.-Al- though only a scant half dozen can didates registered at the University of Alabama football headquarters this past week, practically every man who will seek berth on the Crimson Tide of '23 is expected to answer the initial call for practice Monday after noon at Denny field.
 Coach Wallace Wade embarks on his new coaching job, with a fair nucleus of last years varsity eleven and a gathering of freshmen as as- pirants for a regular berth. The ma terial does not look as promising to- day as 1t did when the '22 season ended, but confidence is felt that with an even break, Alabamas aggregation will be one of the best in Dixie.
 At Alabama already with Wade are Coaches Vandegraaf and Henry Crisp. Bully" will handle the freshmen, while "Hustling Hank" will develop the varsity line. Russ Cohen, former Vanderbilt star. Is expected to b. among the first to roll in Sunday or Monday. He will handle the backs, leaving general supervision of the eleven to Coach Wade.
 Q o O
 Compton Arrives.
 
 first to arrive at the Caostona, and announced his presence with genial smile that beamed enthusiasm for the coming grid year. Others thac put in appearance this past week were Allan MacCartee and Jack Langhorne.- Both players looked fit Langhorne as if one should not worry in the least over Alabama's loss of both regular tackles. These three varsity players were the first to appear, while others were expected in Sunday and Monday.
 Four other candidates, two scrubs of last year and two members of the freshmen team, checked in early and donned their spangles. Mac Brown a fleet back. settled in to bunting the oval, while Little" Ennis. a guard of prominence for his size last year, is going to hustle for a berth. Bob Hinton and Burkhart are the other two ready for work.
 Alabamas s prospects for the coming year were dimmed somewhat by the announcement that Tom Newton would be unable to play for the first few weeks of the season, possibly the whole season. With Al Clemens, New ton formed a dangerous pair of ends. However, the Tide has four men who are predicted by many to be ex- tremely good men. The extra end will come from Dany, a sub end of last year. and Hudson. Brakefield and Jones, freshmen ends. Hudson looks very promising for a berth. The lad Is very heavy, fierce tackler and not apt to be sucked in on plays. Dany played we'll when given an op- portunity last year, and may develop great deal under Wade. jones and Brakefield are both fast men, and heavy, and must be counted in the running.
 A Good BackfieId.
 Alabama's backs, at the present writing, look to be the equal of the best in the south. The absence of Bartlett weakens the eleven, but Ala bamians are confident this gap will be filled somehow. Halfbacks and fullback, Alabama has ample for the places. Coach Cohen's hardest job will be to curb the fumbling that re- suited in the loss of the pigskin so ofte0 last year. as in the Sewanee- Alabama game at Birmingham
 The line-Propst will be back. So is Clemens expected back. Compton has already reported. So has Lang horne. The rest are listed among the missing. two tackles, a guard, an end, and two capable substitutes. These places will have to be filled with scrubs or freshmen of last year, and Alabama's chances of placing another powerful line does not look so won derful at present. What summer and vacation did to the rats" of last year will tell the tale.
 Saturday, two days before practice will start, the Crimson Tide of '23 looks puzzling. One knows not who will return, the shape they will be in or anything. The only thing one does know is that all students at the Capstone or to enroll there this year have utmost confidence in Wallace Wade and his corps of assistants. They have the same confidence in Berney Perry. And that leaves 1t to them.