Three injured Alabama players were back in full uniform for warmups before the East Carolina game, a sign that their returns may not be far off even though none of them ended up playing.
Running back AK Dear, safety Jireh Edwards and wide receiver Noah Rogers all went through drills before kickoff. That didn’t translate into game action, but it did give a clearer picture of where each stands.
After the game, Kalen DeBoer pointed to two names as the ones nearest to getting back on the field.
“The guys who are the closest (to returning) are Jireh and AK,” DeBoer said.
He added that both are players “you could see here very soon.”
Rogers, the NC State transfer, appears to be a step behind but still moving in the right direction.
“Noah just down the road here a little bit,” DeBoer said.
Rogers has been out since A-Day, though he has been practicing. Dear was injured in the first preseason scrimmage, while Edwards went down later in camp before the season began.
DeBoer said all three have moved through recovery better than expected, while also stressing the need to stay patient.
“They’ve all three, just their process in recovery has gone very smooth, probably quicker than you’d expect,” DeBoer said. “But we’ve also got to be careful.”
Alabama improved to 1-0 with the win over East Carolina and now shifts its focus to Kentucky, which is also 1-0 after beating Youngstown State in the opener. The Wildcats are in the first game under new coach Will Stein.
In Other News...
LSUs SEC Fight Could Shift The Balance Alabama Lives With
The SECs legal fight with LSU has taken another turn, and it is the kind of conference business that rarely stays contained to one school. The league has amended its federal court lawsuit and is preparing to meet about possible punishment tied to LSUs institutional control and the football program, a dispute that puts the conferences authority and its willingness to enforce it back in the spotlight.
For Alabama, any league-wide shakeup involving LSU matters because it can alter the balance of a conference the Crimson Tide lives in every week. The SEC has also alleged that LSUs executive officers do not have meaningful control over coach Lane Kiffin and the football program, and the most extreme option on the table would require a two-thirds vote to terminate LSUs membership. Whether it gets anywhere near that point is still the unresolved part, but the fact it is being discussed says plenty about how serious the conflict has become. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Faces An Early SEC Test It Can't Afford To Sleepwalk Through
Alabama got through its Week 1 tune-up against East Carolina, but the rhythm of the season changes fast now that SEC play arrives. The Crimson Tides first conference test comes against Kentucky, a team that brings a different look than the usual early-September opponent and one that has already spent the offseason reshaping itself on the sideline and at quarterback.
Will Stein is in place as the Wildcats new head coach, and Kentucky also added a transfer quarterback who was impressive in the opener. That combination is enough to make this more than a routine league game for Alabama, which cannot afford to treat it like a soft landing after the nonconference schedule. The Tide will need to be sharp from the start if they want to avoid turning an early SEC roadblock into something bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Just Sent A Confusing Early Message In The Polls
The first full college football polls of the regular season offered an early read on where the sports powers stand, and Alabama got a mixed one. Ohio State stayed No. 1 in both the AP and Coaches polls, LSU surged to No. 8 after a convincing win over Clemson, and Michigans split showing in the rankings underscored how quickly the first month can reshape a rsum.
For Alabama, the picture was less clean. The Crimson Tide climbed to No. 12 in the AP poll after handling East Carolina, but the Coaches poll told a different story by placing them one spot lower. It is still early, of course, but the discrepancy is the kind of small signal that tends to matter in September, especially for a program used to being evaluated with very little margin for error. [Read more 🡒]