With the Wynfrey Hotel and SEC Media Days in the rearview mirror, we learned a little about Alabama and its upcoming 2016-17 football season. From what Nick Saban and the players said, here’s what we learned this week.

Robinson should suit up vs. USC

The biggest question entering the circus that is SEC Media Days was the status of left tackle Cam Robinson, who was arrested in May but not prosecuted, and Saban shed some light on the future of the two-year starter.

On Wednesday morning, Saban said “if these guys do these things to change their behavior and help these other people -- and that is ongoing -- if they continue to do that, that is how this matter will be handled internally.”

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Essentially, to me, it sounds like Robinson will be on the field inside AT&T Stadium when the Crimson Tide faces the USC Trojans in its season opener -- unless something unexpected happens -- which is good news for Alabama.

Saban will go to bat for his players

When Saban said this about Robinson and reserve safety Laurence Jones, it started countless discussions inside the main media room and radio row, but the biggest one actually occurred between Saban and Paul Finebaum.

The radio personality asked the tough question while the Tide head coach responded with a heated answer, standing up for his player. Both were doing their jobs, and Saban helped himself more than harmed, showing he is willing to step up to bat for the players with simple, white numbers on their helmets, even in an interview on national television.

Smith situation is a confusing one

Senior defensive back Maurice Smith is considering a transfer, and a team within the league (Georgia) is one of his ideal destinations. There’s only one problem: an SEC bylaw will prevent Smith from doing that, and Saban knows it.

“If we didn’t have that rule, everybody would be cherry-picking guys from other teams,” Saban said, “especially graduates because they’re immediately eligible, and that wouldn’t be good for our conference. So we support that rule.”

Like the heading suggests, Smith’s situation is confusing and one that will likely end with him either remaining in Tuscaloosa or transferring to another school, like Miami, Maryland or USC, according to a report from AL.com.

QB competition still a tight race

If you were hoping Saban would name a starting quarterback after a few fall camp practices, you might want to skip this section. The four-man battle is as tight as can be with less than two months until the season opener.

Redshirt junior Cooper Bateman holds the slightest of leads because of his in-game experience, but David Cornwell, Blake Barnett and Jalen Hurts are nipping at the Utah native’s heels with fall with fall camps set to begin Aug. 4.

New players standing out

The three players that represented Alabama in Hoover had a lot of positive things to say about the new crops of players that arrived in Tuscaloosa this summer, pointing out five newcomers during media interviews Wednesday.

Defensive backs Shyheim Carter and Aaron Robinson, wide receivers Trevon Diggs and Gehrig Dieter and defensive tackle Raekwon Davis were the freshmen or graduate transfer that were mentioned as standout players during the team’s 7-on-7 drills this summer, and they will look to carry that momentum into the Tide’s fast-approaching season.

Tide players saying all the right things

Complacency is something every team must try to avoid after winning a championship, and just in brief interviews at the annual media event, complacent is not a word I would use to describe the trio of Alabama seniors.

Speaking for their teammates that did not make the hour-long trip to Hoover, the Tide contingent said all the right things to make one believe they are ready to tackle another title run, including defensive end Jonathan Allen.

“I’ve seen a lot of hunger in this team,” Allen said. “The biggest thing at Alabama is that if you don’t have hunger then you’re not going to start this year. Coach Saban is not going to do anything that is a detriment to the team so you have to come with intensity every day and prove why you deserve to play. So I really haven’t seen any complacency so far this year.”