Against Georgia, Alabama football with need all hands on deck in order to have a chance at knocking off the Bulldogs in Athens. According to Kane Wommack, the Crimson Tide will have a pretty big pair of hands at its disposal.
Senior defensive tackle and team captain Tim Keenan will be back for Alabama this week, according to what defensive coordinator Kane Wommack told the media on Monday.
"Tim will be back for the game," Wommack said. "He's practiced the last couple days and looked pretty good."
Against a physical, imposing offensive line like Georgia's, Alabama was going to need its star nose tackle.
Saturday's game will be Keenan's season debut. The fifth-year senior suffered a high-ankle sprain during practice before the Tide's season opener against Florida State. He reportedly underwent a tightrope procedure to repair it and missed the first three games of the season.
Alabama suffered more attrition to the middle of the defensive line when redshirt freshman Jeremiah Beaman - Keenan's backup - suffered a torn ACL during practice the very next week. That thrust true freshman London Simmons into a starting role. Simmons has held up well the last couple of weeks, but Keenan's leadership and ability were sorely missed. He'll provide a massive boost for the Tide, particularly against the run.
Tim Keenan's return is critical for Alabama
According to AL.com's Nick Kelly, he was told by an NFL scout that Tim Keenan is the "heart and soul" of the Alabama defense and questioned whether any player on the team was as important to the Crimson Tide as the senior nose tackle:
An NFL scout to @aldotcom on Alabama DL Tim Keenan III:
— Nick Kelly (@_NickKelly) September 22, 2025
“Might be the heart and soul of the defense. I don’t know if anyone is as important as he is." pic.twitter.com/COHkUgum4p
Keenan is pivotal for the Crimson Tide up front, and against a Georgia team that is going to try and run the ball early and often, Alabama needs as many healthy bodies on the defensive line as they can get.
It will be interesting to see how big of a role Keenan is able to play. He'll undoubtedly start, but how many snaps he will be able to hold up for in his season debut coming off an injury is something to monitor on Saturday.
Simmons will still play a big role as Keenan's primary backup, and other young defensive linemen will need to step up against a Georgia offensive line that can be intimidating.
Georgia wore Tennessee down two weeks ago, ultimately gashing the Vols for 198 rushing yards. Alabama will need to stop the run to have a chance of knocking off the Bulldogs on the road.