Alabama star DL is expected to have surgery, miss multiple games

Kalen DeBoer told the media during the SEC teleconference on Wednesday that star NT Tim Keenan III had a lower-body injury and would not be a "full-go" for this weekend's matchup against Florida State. It now appears that Keenan's injury was worse than initially feared.

According to On3's Brett McMurphy, Keenan is expected to undergo tightrope surgery on his ankle and will miss multiple games:

Alabama fans are familiar with the tightrope procedure. Numerous Crimson Tide players have undergone the procedure over the years, most famously Tua Tagovailoa during the 2019 season. Tagovailoa recovered and returned to action after three weeks, but the recovery time can vary greatly.

It is typically performed to repair high-ankle sprains and can cut the recovery time down to just a few weeks when a normal high-ankle injury can knock a player out for 6-8 weeks, if not more.

The goal for Keenan is now almost assuredly the same as it is for Jam Miller: To be back in time for Alabama's road trip to Athens at the end of September.

Where Alabama turns at nose tackle without Tim Keenan

Keenan is a big loss for the middle of the Crimson Tide's defense. He's the only nose tackle on the roster with significant experience. While Alabama has depth at most positions, the interior of the defensive line is one of the positions they are least equipped to handle a major injury.

Redshirt freshman Jeremiah Beaman is the likely guy who is going to step into a starting role in place of Keenan. Guys like Edric Hill, Steve Mboumoua, Isaia Faga, and London Simmons could all see rotational snaps at nose.

Against a finesse-based offense like the one Gus Malzahn runs, Alabama may be fine going a little smaller up front to combat the east-west running styles. If so, Kane Wommack could choose to move James Smith over to Nose, and give snaps at defensive tackle to some of the guys in the Bandit room, like LT Overton, Jordan Renaud, and Keon Keeley.

That might work out fine for this weekend. It would not work out fine against a power-running team like Georgia when the Crimson Tide goes to Athens on September 27th. That's why that game is assuredly the target for Keenan's return.

But that's a problem for another day. Right now, Alabama is going to be down another starter for the season opener. The Crimson Tide was already going to be without senior RB Jam Miller. Alabama could also be without senior guard Jaeden Roberts, who has spent the last couple of weeks in concussion protocol.

The injuries are piling up for Alabama before the first snap of the season.