Alabama got a little clarity Monday on the status of three injured players, and coach Kalen DeBoer sounded cautiously optimistic about the two closest to returning.
Running back AK Dear and safety Jireh Edwards are the names DeBoer pointed to first as the Crimson Tide heads into Saturday’s SEC opener at Kentucky. Wide receiver Noah Rogers is still a bit further behind, though DeBoer said his recovery has moved along smoothly as well.
“The guys that are closest are Jireh and AK, and then Noah just down the road here a little bit,” DeBoer said. “Wanted to get them out there, just keep the progression and part of their transition back, but I think Jireh and AK, you could see here very soon. All three -- just their process of recovery has gone very smooth, probably quicker than you'd expect, but we also have to be careful.”
Alabama’s first SEC availability report of the season is due Wednesday evening. The Tide will then update it Thursday and Friday evenings before another report comes out ahead of kickoff Saturday in Lexington’s Kroger Field.
All three players were in pregame warmups before last Saturday’s opener against East Carolina, but none played and each watched from the sideline in sweatpants.
Dear was dealing with a lower-leg injury suffered in mid-August. Edwards, a five-star freshman, hurt his arm in late August. Rogers has been working back from a leg injury suffered on A-Day in April.
Rogers’ return has already come on an accelerated track. He got back to practice in late August after initially being expected to miss roughly the first half of the season. A senior transfer from NC State who began at Ohio State, Rogers was part of the first-team offense on A-Day.
Alabama opened Week 1 with four running backs listed as co-starters against East Carolina: junior Daniel Hill, freshmen Trae'shawn Brown and EJ Crowell, and junior Kevin Riley. Dear, a sophomore, could also work his way into that group once he is cleared.
Edwards may fit into the safety mix behind starters Bray Hubbard and Keon Sabb, with Ivan Taylor, Zavier Mincey and Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. also in that rotation.
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Alabama Just Sent A Confusing Early Message In The Polls
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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 🡒]