James Smith is Poised for a Breakout Year

Alabama defensive lineman James Smith is poised for a breakout season along the Crimson Tide's defensive line as he is set to take over for Tim Smith, a five-year player who was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in April's NFL draft.

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However, Smith was banged up during Alabama's first two scrimmages and has yet to scrimmage for the Tide. With the second scrimmage being last Saturday, the next time Smith gets game-like reps will be on August 30 against Florida State. Even still, Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack thinks Smith is setting himself up to be a breakout player for Alabama.

"James is doing a really nice job," Wommack said. "Was dinged up there for a couple of days and has come back nicely, has kinda hit all of the markers he needed to hit. We got him back out on the field the other day, and he looked fresh. Fresh legs, and he's such a havoc-style player. He can create and generate a lot of havoc in the backfield, which is something I'm excited about and how we're gonna utilize him in that role."

Smith, alongside Tim Keenan III, will command the middle of Alabama's defensive line this season. In limited reps over the last two seasons, Smith has appeared in 22 games, totaling 22 tackles, four tackles for loss, two pass breakups, one sack, and one fumble recovery.

You can watch Kane Wommack's full press conference here.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.