After a stellar first season under Kalen DeBoer and defensive coordinator Kane Wommack, defensive tackle Tim Keenan III entered his fifth year at Alabama as a second-team Preseason All-American and on Lombardi Award, Bednarik Award, and Nagurski Trophy watch lists.
However, the preseason hype train was derailed when Keenan suffered an ankle injury in practice as the Crimson Tide prepared for a Week 1 trip to Tallahassee to open the season against Florida State. Keenan has now reportedly undergone tightrope surgery on his ankle and is expected to miss multiple games. He will not take the field in Week 1 as DeBoer attempts to begin Alabama’s journey back to the College Football Playoff after a disappointing nine-win season last year.
Tim Keenan III ruled out for Alabama’s Week 1 matchup against FSU at Doak Campbell Stadium
Last season, Keenan finished fourth on the Crimson Tide defense in quarterback pressures and fourth in run stops (tackles that constitute a “failure” for the offense) per PFF. As a run defender, the 6-foot-2, 236-pound veteran’s 1.4-yard average depth of tackle was second-best among Alabama defenders with at least 100 run defense snaps, only trailing James Smith.
Smith was expected to start next to Keenan on the interior of Alabama’s defensive line, but will now be asked to make a major impact with a rotating cast of characters looking to fill Keenan’s shoes. Wommack will likely call upon redshirt freshman Jeremiah Beaman and redshirt sophomore Edric Hill to take snaps on the defensive interior, but it’s not a terribly deep group.
Last season, Keenan led the Crimson Tide in nose tackle snaps with Damon Payne trailing closely behind. Payne has since transferred to Michigan, leaving Wommack to turn to inexperienced players or to ask edge players like Jah-Marien Latham to slide inside and play defensive tackle with Smith as the nose. Tim Smith also played a significant number of defensive tackle snaps last season in his final year of eligibility.
Even without Keenan, Alabama is favored by more than two touchdowns in the FanDuel Sportsbook heading into Saturday, but his absence could be a boon to a Florida State offense led by dual-threat quarterback Thomas Castellanos and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn. Malzahn loves to run the ball, and the Seminoles' running backs may have some additional space on the interior without Keenan penetrating the backfield all afternoon in Tallahassee.
The Tide should survive Week 1 without Keenan, but DeBoer and Wommack will be hoping for a swift return from their big man before they head to Athens to play Georgia in Week 5.