Apr 12, 2025; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Defensive lineman James Smith (23) runs a drill against Alabama defensive lineman Tim Keenan III (96) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kalen DeBoer named a few of the Alabama players the Crimson Tide will lean on with Tim Keenan out during the “Hey Coach & The Kalen DeBoer” show.

Keenan is out with a reported ankle injury, and he is expected to undergo tightrope surgery. He could miss multiple games.

The Tide are preparing to kick off the season against Florida State without him and a few guys will be leaned on while he is sidelined.

“There’s a group of guys,” DeBoer said. “James Smith, Jeremiah Beaman, guys that have gotten a lot of reps, Edric Hill. So, there’s a lot of guys that will just be asked to take more snaps, more reps. There’s some young guys that are going to get thrown into the fire a little quicker than probably what we originally thought. You always want to have the next man up mentality and our guys have that and they’re ready to go. But I also don’t want to diminish just how important because I think you’re selling short a guy like Tim Keenan and what he means to us. We know that our guys will get out there and they’ll fight and they know how to play the game. But I just probably feel more bad for Tim and Jam than anything, you know, just because they work so hard for it.”

Keenan’s injury adds another level of intrigue to this season-opening showdown.

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Justin Smith is the Managing Editor and Lead Writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with over 10 years of writing experience & expertise. Smith has consistently delivered high quality, extensively researched information on the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team that fans can trust. Smith is official credentialed media with the University of Alabama under Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He is also the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Enterprises, specializing in scouting and analyzing high school recruits around the nation, specifically focusing on recruits within the state of Alabama.