Alabama's weekly availability report giveth and taketh away.
As expected, star WR Ryan Coleman-Williams was officially listed as out on Wednesday night. Not as expected, but not surprising, either, was DT Terrance Green being listed as out, too.
But lost in the shuffle of the bad news was one major boost for the Crimson Tide:
Sophomore LB Justin Hill, who has missed the last three games with an injury, was officially listed as "probable", clearing the way for his return this weekend in Knoxville for the Third Saturday in October matchup against Tennessee.
Hill is Alabama's backup Wolf LB behind Yhonzae Pierre, but he plays a significant role and allows for a lot more versatility up front when he's able to go. His role should open up a lot more possibilities for Kane Wommack in the front seven.
Justin Hill's return should allow Alabama to be more versatile up front at Tennessee
With Hill and South Carolina transfer Desmond Umeozulu out for the last three weeks, Alabama has had to put a lot on the shoulders of Pierre and Devan Thompkins. They've had to play too many snaps, which has, in turn, limited their effectiveness.
With Hill back in the fold, not only should each get a little more rest, but Wommack should be able to change the picture up front a bit more.
Pierre can pretty easily slide down and play Bandit instead of Wolf, especially with Hill trusted at that spot to be able to set the edge. That would then allow Thompkins to kick inside and give Alabama a lot more of a pass-rushing presence.
One of the biggest strengths of the Tide's defense in the first few weeks was their ability to get home with only a four-man rush. That has been severely limited recently. Last week against Georgia, Alabama struggled to get any consistent pressure on Gunner Stocktno, and the Bulldogs' QB carved them up over and over again, especially on third down in make-or-break situations.
With redshirt freshman George MacIntyre getting the start at QB, he won't present the same problems as a veteran QB like Stockton, but getting pressure on them will be paramount to the Crimson Tide's defensive success.
It should also lead to opportunities for the defense to produce takeaways, which are always a staple of Wommack's unit.
Hill's return is a major boost for Alabama at a good time. The Crimson Tide's defense has not lived up to preseason expectations through the first six weeks. And against a stifling Tennessee defense, in a raucous Neyland Stadium environment, Alabama will need its defense to bring its A-game to avoid putting too much on the plate of Keelon Russell and a young Tide offense.
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