Alabama’s bye week gave the Crimson Tide a chance to get healthier, and Kalen DeBoer said Monday that several key pieces are moving in the right direction ahead of Saturday’s trip to LSU.
The group in question is a long one: wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams, cornerback Zabien Brown, running back EJ Crowell, center Racin Delgatty and nose tackle Terrance Green. Alabama was without all five in the Oct. 24 win over Texas A&M, but DeBoer sounded encouraged about where things stand now.
“A lot of these guys from Zabien Brown to Ryan Coleman-Williams, EJ, Racin, Terrance Green in particular, those guys are all working onto the football field,” DeBoer said. “They're not all in the exact same spot, but they're all out there going through workouts. Some are taking team reps, some are taking non-contact reps.
“But I think the progress by all of them is headed in a good direction. We'll see. I think a lot of it has to do with how their bodies respond after they're out there being pushed a little bit more.”
Coleman-Williams has been out the last two games with a knee injury, and DeBoer said Oct. 26 in Birmingham that he was “hopeful that [Coleman-Williams] will be ready for the LSU game.”
Brown and Crowell both went down with lower-leg injuries in the first half against Tennessee and missed the Texas A&M game as well. Delgatty’s lower-leg issue came late in the Georgia loss on Oct. 10, and he has been unavailable against both Tennessee and the Aggies. Green left the Georgia game late in the first half after reaggravating a previous injury, then sat out the next two contests too.
DeBoer also gave an update on edge rusher Desmond Umeozulu, who has been dealing with turf toe.
“Desmond will still be out for a while yet,” DeBoer said. “He’ll be hopeful later on in the season, but it will be toward the very back end of the regular season.”
One injured player not mentioned Monday was left guard Will Sanders, who suffered a lower-extremity injury against Texas A&M. DeBoer said Oct. 26 in Birmingham that Sanders would be out for “probably two to three weeks.”
No. 9 Alabama, 6-2 overall and 4-2 in the SEC, faces No.
15 LSU, also 6-2 with a 3-2 league mark, on Saturday, Nov. 7.
Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
In Other News...
Alabama Just Added More Pressure To A Huge Stretch For Nate Oats
Alabama basketball added another major piece to its future this week when five-star power forward Zion Green committed to the Crimson Tide, giving Nate Oats a second headliner in the 2027 recruiting class alongside Chase Lumpkin. It is the kind of early recruiting win that keeps Alabama in the national conversation, and it comes at a time when the program is already carrying plenty of momentum across the athletic department.
The timing also adds a little more pressure to a critical stretch for Oats, with Alabama heading into a tricky matchup at LSU after the line swung from the Tide being a slight underdog to a bigger favorite for the Tigers. Alabamas rise to No. 9 in the AP Poll only sharpens the spotlight, and with coaching movement elsewhere in college football potentially affecting recruiting, the Tide are trying to balance present-day expectations with the future they are building. [Read more 🡒]
Alabamas LSU Buildup Just Got More Complicated Up Front
The buildup to Saturdays trip to Baton Rouge already had the usual SEC edge, and now Alabama is dealing with a little more uncertainty on the offensive line. Kalen DeBoer offered updates on several injured players this week, saying Zabien Brown, Ryan Coleman-Williams, EJ Crowell, Racin Delgatty and Terrance Green are all moving forward in their recoveries and taking part in workouts with different levels of contact.
The bigger concern is up front, where left guard Will Sanders is expected to miss time after ankle surgery. For an Alabama team heading into LSU week, any shakeup along the line adds another layer to a matchup that already demands clean protection and physical play, and it leaves the Tide monitoring how quickly the rest of the group can settle in around the loss. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Faces A Backfield Question With LSU Now Looming
With LSU looming, Alabama is still sorting through its backfield rotation, and AK Dear remains one of the bigger variables. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said Dear is still working back from a lower-body injury suffered in fall camp, a setback that has kept him out for significant stretches this season. In a season where the Tide have leaned on a passing-heavy approach, there have not been many easy openings for running backs to carve out consistent roles.
Grubbs comments suggest Dears path back into the mix depends first on getting fully healthy. If he does, Alabama could use the added depth, especially with other injuries already thinning the room and limiting those chances even further. For a team heading into one of its biggest games, the question is not just whether Dear is available, but whether he can get enough time to matter. [Read more 🡒]