Wednesday night’s first availability report for Alabama’s game against South Carolina delivered an immediate shift in the conversation: Justin Hill and Desmond Umeozulu are both out, and that opens the door for a freshman who has been waiting for a real chance.
The Crimson Tide lost two important edge defenders after both were banged up in Saturday’s win over Florida State, according to Yea-Alabama. Hill is dealing with a lower extremity injury and is expected to miss a few weeks. Umeozulu has turf toe, and his timetable remains unclear.
That’s a significant blow for Alabama’s defense. Both players were viewed as potential X-factors against South Carolina, especially with an athletic quarterback like LaNorris Sellers on the other side. Umeozulu had just earned his first Alabama start last weekend against FSU, with Devan Thompkins moving inside to bring more athleticism to the front.
With Hill sidelined at Wolf, Yhonzae Pierre will have to carry more of the load. Seventh-year senior Jah-Marien Latham is also in line for a bigger role. But the biggest spotlight now falls on Xavier Griffin.
The 5-star freshman has been waiting for this kind of opening, and now it’s here.
Griffin has already been sprinkled in for some defensive snaps each week, but this matchup should bring the most consistent run he’s seen so far. Alabama brought him along carefully, but that approach is no longer realistic with Hill and Umeozulu unavailable.
The opportunity is bigger than just one game. Both injured edge defenders are expected to miss multiple contests, which means Griffin could be a real part of the rotation going forward.
He’s been used at both on- and off-ball linebacker and has backed up at each spot. Long term, Alabama expects him to grow into a Jihaad Campbell-like role in Kane Wommack’s defense.
For now, though, South Carolina should be the game where he gets the most steady work off the ball. His athleticism could come in handy against Sellers.
There’s also a good chance Griffin is used on obvious passing downs as an extra pass rusher.
Wommack has another option, too. Caleb Woodson could be worked off the edge, and he already showed what he can do there with two sacks against Kentucky in Week 2. Alabama has enough depth at the on-ball linebacker spots to shift a body outward if needed.
Still, Griffin is the player most likely to see the biggest jump in snaps because of these injuries. Alabama is throwing him into the fire, and this weekend will say plenty about whether he can handle it.
In Other News...
Alabama Suddenly Has A Fan Tension Problem It Can't Ignore
Alabamas offense has been under enough scrutiny already, and Ryan Grubb only added to the conversation when he apologized for remarks he made about fans booing after the units struggles. It was the kind of public back-and-forth that tends to linger around a program like this, especially when expectations are high and the margin for patience gets smaller the longer the offense goes through uneven stretches.
There is at least some football business to distract from the noise. Injured offensive players AK Dear and Noah Rogers are expected to be available for the upcoming game against South Carolina, although their exact roles remain unclear, and the October 3 trip to Mississippi State will come in an early kickoff window. Alabama also picked up a recruiting development worth watching, with two committed prospects from other schools decommitting and expected to visit, giving the staff another chance to keep momentum moving while the fan tension around the offense still hangs in the background. [Read more 🡒]
Alabamas Pass Rush Faces Its Trickiest Test Yet Against South Carolina
Through three games, Alabama has already shown it can get after the quarterback, joining a small group of SEC teams with at least 10 sacks as the defense settles in under Kalen DeBoer. The early production has been helped by the additions from the NCAA transfer portal, and it has given the Crimson Tide a clearer identity up front as they move deeper into conference play.
South Carolina now offers a different kind of challenge, with LaNorris Sellers giving Alabama a quarterback who can change the game with both his arm and his legs. DeBoer pointed to the need for a strong pass rush, but just as important is keeping lane integrity so the pressure does not open escape routes for a dynamic player who can punish even a small breakdown. [Read more 🡒]
Why Alabama Is Betting On Marshall Pritchetts Untapped Potential
Marshall Pritchetts path to Alabama has been the product of a deliberate reset, one that started when he left South Carolina for a Georgia boarding school at 15 to boost his football recruitment prospects. The move gave him a cleaner runway to focus on receiver work, and after reclassifying to pick up an extra year of eligibility, he drew multiple college offers before settling in as a tight end for the Crimson Tide.
Now Pritchett is trying to turn that long development arc into production at the next level, even as he works back from injuries. Alabama is betting that the traits that made him such an intriguing recruit in the first place have only begun to show, and the coming months will determine whether his path was simply unusual or the prelude to something more significant. [Read more 🡒]