Terrance Green never lined up beside Tim Keenan, but the Alabama defensive tackle has studied the former Crimson Tide captain plenty.
Green kept seeing No. 96 whenever he went back through Alabama defensive tape, whether he was sorting through transfer options or settling in after arriving in Tuscaloosa. What stood out to him was Keenan’s ability to anchor against double teams and keep the line of scrimmage steady so everyone else could hunt the ball.
That kind of work mattered in a major way for Alabama’s 2025 defense, even if it didn’t always show up in the tackle column. Keenan finished the year with just 16 tackles, but his value was obvious in the way he absorbed blocks and stayed put.
“He was a big body, but he was also a technician,” said Green, who played at Oregon last year. “When I transferred in, I saw some of the reps he had (on tape) and he was not getting moved.
That's something that I want to do, and I take pride in. Tim is definitely someone I look up to as somebody who holds the gap and holds the line well.”
Keenan’s path has already taken him into the NFL. He went in the seventh round of the draft in April to the Los Angeles Rams, was waived when former All-Pro DT Aaron Donald came out of retirement after two years away, and then landed on the Las Vegas Raiders’ practice squad.
Green, now a senior, is in a similar place in terms of what evaluators want from him. NFL scouts are watching him not just for flash plays, but for whether he can do the dirty work and anchor the middle the way Keenan did.
That trait will be tested more seriously Saturday, Sept. 12, when Alabama visits Kentucky at 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC than it was in Week 1 against East Carolina.
The individual battle worth circling is Alabama linebacker Yhonzae Pierre against Kentucky tackle Lance Heard. Heard arrived from Tennessee as the centerpiece of Kentucky’s transfer portal haul and is widely regarded as one of the SEC’s top offensive tackles.
He now anchors a rebuilt Wildcats front. Pierre, meanwhile, comes off a strong opener against East Carolina and looks set up for a big senior year.
He recorded one of his three sacks last season against Tennessee, with Heard on the other side, but Alabama will need him to do more than rush the passer; his run defense in that matchup could be just as important.
Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack had a different observation while studying Kentucky’s line: “It's hard to miss his flowing hair.” He was talking about former Alabama lineman Olaus Alinen.
Kentucky’s quarterback situation also adds another wrinkle. Kenny Minchey, after spending his career on the bench at Notre Dame, threw for 301 yards and four touchdowns in his Kentucky debut against Youngstown State.
The Wildcats are expected to lean on the run Saturday to keep pressure off him, especially with Alabama’s experience in the secondary. That makes Green, along with Alabama’s Kedrick Bingley-Jones and London Simmons, key pieces in clogging the line of scrimmage.
Alabama may also get running back AK Dear back on the field. He is expected to make his season debut against Kentucky after sitting out the ECU game with an injury.
There’s a familiar face on the other sideline, too. Former Alabama offensive lineman Dallas Warmack is now an assistant offensive line coach on Kentucky’s staff.
Around the SEC, LSU has declined to add two former NFL players to its roster in the latest development in its dispute with the SEC. The legal fight is still going, with the conference seeking court backing to enforce its rules.
And Texas and Ohio State meet Saturday in what could be the biggest game of the regular season, with Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning looking for redemption after struggling in a loss to Ohio State last year. Texas is favored by 1.5 points at home.
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Kentucky Is Trusting Its Own Read On Alex Wilkins
Alex Wilkins arrives in Lexington with a profile that asks Kentucky to lean on its own evaluation rather than the crowd's. The 6-foot-5 guard put together a strong freshman season at Furman, enough to draw attention for both his scoring and his playmaking before the Wildcats brought him in as part of their transfer work.
Wilkins also comes with the kind of statistical baggage that tends to split opinion, including turnover concerns and mixed analytical grades, but Kentucky's staff has bet on the fuller picture. Their read blends numbers, scouting and personal evaluation, a reminder that not every player who raises eyebrows in the models has the same effect on a team building toward March. The conversation around his ceiling has even sparked a Jaylen Brown comparison, which only adds to the sense that this is a player whose value may be clearer in uniform than in a spreadsheet. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Sloans First Kentucky Recruiting Win Already Looks Like A Huge One
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The payoff has been immediate. Darby made his collegiate debut by catching three passes for 74 yards and a touchdown, the kind of entrance that can quickly change how a freshman is viewed inside a program and across the league. For Kentucky, it is exactly the sort of start that can make an early recruiting win feel bigger than just one commitment, especially when a player is already showing he can help shape the offense in 2026. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Fans Get A Clear Rallying Call For Alabama Game
Kentucky is turning Saturday into a full-scale home-field push for its matchup with Alabama, and the uniforms are part of the message. The Wildcats will come out in blue jerseys, blue helmets and white pants, while fans are being asked to help shape the look of the stadium with a Stripe Out, wearing blue or white depending on their seating section.
Will Stein has made the ask even bigger by urging the crowd to bring everything it has and give the game the kind of edge Kentucky football has been chasing for years. Against an Alabama visit that already carries plenty of weight, the Wildcats are leaning on their own people to turn the atmosphere into a real factor, with the hope of creating the loudest setting in program history. [Read more 🡒]