Who Steps up in Tim Keenan's Absence?

Alabama's preparation for week one against Florida State had a monkey wrench thrown into the plan on Tuesday when starting defensive lineman Tim Keenan III went down with an ankle injury. Reports of the injury surfaced on Wednesday morning after head coach Kalen DeBoer said Keenan would "probably not" be a full go against Florida State.

Get our free mobile app

The bad news got worse later in the afternoon, with On3 Sports reporting that Keenan would undergo tightrope surgery and was expected to miss a handful of games for the Crimson Tide, including the season opener on Saturday against Florida State.

Who steps up in Keenan's absence? DeBoer was asked that question on Wednesday night during "Hey Coach." He named three players specifically that will have their numbers called now that Keenan will miss the opening game of the season.

"James Smith, Jeremiah Beaman - guys that have gotten a lot of reps," DeBoer said. "Edric Hill. There's a lot of guys that will be asked to take more snaps, more reps.

DeBoer also hinted at some younger players getting snaps after impressing the coaching staff during fall camp.

"There's some young guys that are gonna get thrown into the fire a little quicker than we originally thought."

Beaman and Smith are Alabama's projected starters for the first game of the season. Smith is a redshirt sophomore for the Crimson Tide, appearing in 13 games last season, while Beaman is a redshirt freshman, appearing in three games last season.

Edric Hill is a redshirt sophomore who appeared in nine games last season.

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_.