Alabama’s run defense was a major issue in its Week 1 loss to Florida State, but Kalen DeBoer and defensive coordinator Kane Wommack have reason to believe that it could turn around when the Crimson Tide open SEC play on Saturday against Georgia. That’s because redshirt senior nose tackle Tim Keenan III is expected to make his season debut and is listed as probable by the official SEC availability report.
Keenan suffered an ankle injury in fall camp that required tightrope surgery and forced him to miss the first three games of the season.
Last season, Keenan finished fourth on the team in run-game stops with 18 and was second to defensive lineman James Smith in average depth of tackle at 1.4 yards downfield. The 326-pound veteran is a true run-stuffer at the point of attack, playing 162 of his 466 defensive snaps at nose tackle last season, the highest number on the Alabama defense.
Without Keenan on the field this season, freshman London Simmons and redshirt freshman Isaia Faga have occupied the middle of the Alabama defensive line, but have combined for just three run-game stops so far this season. Both are likely to have a role in the Alabama defensive line rotation going forward, but will be expected to play fewer snaps with Keenan back healthy.
In 2025, Alabama’s run defense ranks 66th in the country by EPA/rush and 43rd by rushing success rate. Against FSU, by far the best opponent of the season, the Tide allowed 4.7 yards per carry while the Seminoles generated six explosive plays on the ground and 0.15 EPA/rush (75th percentile).
Georgia doesn’t quite have the rushing threat at quarterback that FSU boasted with Tommy Castellanos, who finished with 86 yards and a touchdown on the ground in Week 1, but Gunner Stockton has flashed dual-threat ability in his brief tenure as the starting quarterback of the Bulldogs, and could give the Crimson Tide troubles.
With Stockton and a deep stable of running backs, the Bulldogs rank 23rd in rushing success rate and 46th in EPA/rush. Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, despite his team adding multiple weapons at wide receiver this offseason, is still featuring a nearly 50/50 run-pass split so far, while Alabama skews toward the pass at a 63 percent clip.
If the battle on the ground decides this game, then Alabama is in a better position than it would have been earlier in the year with the likely return of Keenan and the highly anticipated season debut of starting running back Jam Miller. Miller missed the first three games after suffering a dislocated collarbone in the final scrimmage of fall camp.
Tim Keenan III latest injury update:
Keenan was listed as probable on Alabama’s Thursday SEC Availability report and is expected to play on Saturday in Athens.