Alabama has had a major void in the middle of its defense through the season's first two weeks. Star DT Tim Keenan suffered a high-ankle sprain during the week of practice for the lead-up to the season-opener against Florida State. He missed the game against the Seminoles and was held out again last week against UL Monroe.
Kalen DeBoer said earlier in the week that Keenan was a game-time decision for this week's game, and there was optimism that the senior would be able to give it a go against a physical Wisconsin team. According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Keenan is not expected to play today:
Sources: Both Alabama tailback Jam Miller and defensive linemen Tim Keenan III are not expected to play today against Wisconsin. Both are likely to dress and warm-up, but they are not expected to play. pic.twitter.com/ceFlLZx8zU
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 13, 2025
With Keenan out, Alabama's defensive interior lacks any real experienced depth. A week after Keenan went down with an injury, redshirt freshman Jeremiah Beaman, Keenan's backup at the nose, suffered a torn ACL in practice. That has seriously tested Alabama's depth early in the season at a position they didn't have much to begin the year.
Freshman London Simmons, others will have to step up for Alabama again
With Keenan expected to miss another week, freshman London Simmons should start for the second week in a row at nose tackle. While he hasn't created a bunch of negative plays, he has been solid holding the point for the Alabama defensive line.
Junior James Smith will start alongside him at DT, but could also see some snaps at the nose. Smith is incredibly disruptive, and finished last week's blowout of UL Monroe with three tackles for loss.
Guys like Isaia Faga and Edric Hill could also see snaps at nose. One player to keep an eye on is JUCO transfer Steve Bolo Mboumoua, who flashed some major power in his first snaps with the Crimson Tide last week.
That knock back power goes crazy. Still raw and needs to continue to work on his conditioning to better sustain this type of effort, but when it all finally clicks, he’s going to be a problem for opposing offenses. https://t.co/vw9Z7Huj0S pic.twitter.com/Lsky79zP9h
— Clint Lamb (@ClintRLamb) September 9, 2025
He's still working on consistency and stamina, but he could probably handle a handful of snaps each week.
The one positive of Keenan's early injury is that Alabama has had no choice but to develop some depth on the defensive interior. Guys like Simmons and Mboumoua probably wouldn't have seen nearly as many snaps if it hadn't been for Keenan's injury.
Moving forward, Kane Wommack's defense will need Keenan to man the middle for it to be as good as it has the potential to be. When he returns, however, Alabama will have some more experienced depth it gained in his absence.