Kalen DeBoer Reveals Mixed Injury News on 6 Alabama Players Ahead of LSU

The Alabama Crimson Tide could get much-needed reinforcements just in time for one of their biggest games of the season.

Coming off their bye week, No. 9 Alabama is preparing for a critical SEC showdown against No. 15 LSU on Saturday in Baton Rouge. One of the biggest questions surrounding the Crimson Tide is whether several key contributors will be healthy enough to return.

On Monday, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer provided an encouraging injury update on six players, although not everyone is progressing at the same pace.

Kalen DeBoer Provides Positive Updates on 5 Alabama Players

During his Monday press conference, DeBoer revealed that five injured Crimson Tide players have returned to some level of football activity.

“A lot of these guys from Zabien Brown to Ryan Coleman-Williams, EJ [Crowell], Racin [Delgatty], Terrance Green in particular … those guys are all working onto the football field,” DeBoer said.

“They’re not all in the exact same spot, but they’re all out there going through workouts. Some are taking team reps, some are taking non-contact reps.”

The news is certainly encouraging for an Alabama team that has been dealing with significant injuries on both sides of the football.

Here is a breakdown of the five players working toward a return:

• Ryan Coleman-Williams (WR): Knee injury; missed the last two games.
• Racin Delgatty (C): Knee injury; missed the last two games.
• Terrance Green (DL): Ankle injury; missed the last two games.
• Zabien Brown (CB): Lower-body injury; missed the Texas A&M game.
• EJ Crowell (RB): Lower-body injury; missed the Texas A&M game.

Getting Coleman-Williams and Delgatty back would be particularly significant for Alabama’s offense, while the potential returns of Brown and Green would provide a boost to Kane Wommack’s defense.

However, DeBoer stopped short of guaranteeing that any of the five would be available against LSU.

“But I think the progress by all of them is headed in a good direction,” DeBoer continued. “We’ll see. I think a lot of it has to do with how their bodies respond after they’re out there being pushed a little bit more at the end of the last week, yesterday, as well.”

Alabama Receives Less Encouraging News on Desmond Umeozulu

While the updates on five players were promising, Alabama fans shouldn’t expect outside linebacker Desmond Umeozulu back anytime soon.

Umeozulu has been sidelined since Alabama’s Week 3 victory over Florida State while dealing with a lingering turf toe injury.

“Desmond will still be out for a while yet,” DeBoer said. “He’ll be hopeful later on this season, but it will be towards the very back end of the regular season.”

That means Alabama will likely have to continue navigating its upcoming SEC schedule without the talented pass rusher.

Alabama Could Get Reinforcements for Critical LSU Showdown

After suffering back-to-back losses to Georgia and Tennessee, Alabama responded with a 31-20 victory over Texas A&M before heading into its bye week.

Now, with the Crimson Tide looking to strengthen their College Football Playoff résumé, getting healthy couldn’t come at a better time.

The potential return of multiple starters would be a welcome development as Alabama prepares to enter one of college football’s toughest road environments.

Of course, the biggest question is how many of those players will actually be ready to suit up Saturday.

Alabama’s first official SEC availability report of the week is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 7:10 p.m. CT, which should provide a clearer picture of where things stand.

No. 9 Alabama and No. 15 LSU are scheduled to kick off Saturday, Nov. 7, at 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC.

This article was originally published on HEAVY

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