Which Freshmen are Developing for Alabama?

A recent trend for the Alabama Crimson Tide has been the reliance on true freshmen in big moments. Last season, Alabama's two biggest plays of the year came from true freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams, scoring on a 75-yard touchdown against the Georgia Bulldogs, and true freshman cornerback Zabien Brown, who secured a victory in that same game with a last-second interception on Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, putting an exclamation point on Alabama's 41-35 victory over the Bulldogs in Tuscaloosa.

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Alabama has been forced to rely on true freshmen again this season, but this time, due to injuries. Defensive lineman Tim Keenan III missed the first three weeks of play with a lower-body injury that required tightrope surgery, and his backup, Jeremiah Beaman, suffered a season-ending injury heading into Alabama's game against ULM, leading to true freshman London Simmons stepping in at defensive tackle for Alabama.

In Alabama's season-opening loss to Florida State, Ryan Williams suffered a concussion late in the fourth quarter, resulting in his missing Alabama's next game against ULM. The Crimson Tide started true freshman Lotzeir Brooks in the contest.

Brooks and Simmons were two players that Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer mentioned by name on Wednesday, during the SEC coaches conference call, as freshmen who have taken strides in development for the Crimson Tide.

"There's no doubt, we use them in a variety of ways," DeBoer said. "They're heavily involved on offense and defense. More and more guys, Lotzeir Brooks, Isaia Faga, London Simmons, I know they're not all true freshmen, but guys getting their first real quality playing time. And then we use these guys on special teams, Dijon Lee, on defense as well, but these guys are heavily involved on special teams.

"Really doing a pretty good job for the most part, and excited about the development and growth. That's what the bye week's so important for, you get to continue to bring those guys along. This can be another taste for those guys on another level with us starting SEC action."

What is the impact of freshmen stepping up in a locker room full of veteran leaders?

"One thing we noted early when these guys got here in the winter is that we were gonna need these guys in a lot of different ways," DeBoer answered. "Our tight ends involved in what we needed from them, guys in the receiving corps, building that depth along the offensive line. Michael Carroll getting some playing time.

"Our upperclassmen really did a good job of understanding how important they were and embracing that, and helping the transition for these guys, whether it be in the workouts, or now as we get into the season. There's a learning curve, there's some lumps that guys have taken, maybe we've even taken, but there's a learning curve these guys are going through. I think it sped up because of the upperclassmen, the way they've embraced and helped these guys along."

Alabama will face Georgia on Saturday, September 27, at 6:30 p.m. CT.

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_.