Alabama’s Hidden Weapon on Defense That Came Back 19 Days After Surgery

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- 19 days ago, former five-star safety Jireh Edwards underwent surgery for an arm fracture he suffered in practice entering the final week of fall camp. Edwards didn't play for the Crimson Tide in the season opener against East Carolina last week and was listed as questionable entering Saturday morning's SEC opener in Lexington.

Get our free mobile app

19 days later, Edwards made a crucial tackle for loss on a 2nd and 1, tackling two Kentucky offensive players at once for a six-yard loss, setting up a sudden third-and-long when Kentucky was expecting a conversion.

“That boy’s a dog,” transfer linebacker Caleb Woodson said. “He’s a freshman, so think about doing that as a freshman. That’s great,” Woodson said. “I saw it was [number] 10, and I was like, ‘yeah that’s my dog, let's go.’”

The tackle for loss, while impressive, wasn't his only playing time on the day. The Upper Marlboro, Maryland native made his presence felt on special teams, with the Crimson Tide's head coach taking notice of his efforts to return as soon as possible.

"Jireh Edwards, 19 days out of a broken arm, post-op, going out there and getting a [TFL]," Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. "We've got a lot of tough dudes. That's toughness physically, that's toughness mentally."

No. 12 Alabama advances to 2-0 and 1-0 in SEC play this season. The Tide's next game will come on Saturday, September 19, when it hosts Florida State.

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_.