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Alabama LB recalls taking first 'welcome to the big boys' spring-practice hit

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A few hours before Wednesday's practice started, Ryan Anderson arrived in the media room in his uniform pants, thigh pads already in place.

The first Alabama spring practice of full pads, full contact was approaching. The look on the outside linebacker's face couldn't hide the excitement.

"Yeah. The first day, everybody is excited to do it," he said. "Everybody's body is well. They're fresh so everybody is looking forward to hitting somebody."

Anderson was still smiling when he recalled his first spring practice in full gear. He enrolled early in 2012. The first good lick was hard to forget because he wasn't the one delivering it.