Alabama will be without at least two key, veteran pieces on Saturday when it travels to Tallahassee to take on Florida State.
RB Jam Miller suffered a dislocated collarbone in the Crimson Tide's second scrimmage of fall camp, which is expected to force him to miss the first three games of the season.
On Wednesday, it was announced that veteran nose tackle - and recently elected team captain - Tim Keenan suffered an ankle injury in practice this week. According to On3's Brett McMurphy, Keenan will undergo a tightrope procedure on his ankle and is expected to miss a few games.
There hasn't been an official timetable for his return, as there often isn't with a tightrope surgery, as results have varied on recovery time. But the obvious hope is that Keenan, like Miller, will be back and ready to go when Alabama travels to Athens to play Georgia on September 27th.
Alabama could also be without senior RG Jaeden Roberts on Saturday. Roberts has been going through concussion protocol, and while he has made strides this week toward a return, it might be too optimistic to expect that he'll be ready to play against Florida State.
Of all the injuries, Keenan's is the most significant due to how big of a void he leaves. Alabama doesn't have a veteran to step in and replace him at nose tackle. He has a unique skillset that won't be found anywhere else on the roster.
Kalen DeBoer joined the "Hey Coach" show on Wednesday night and mentioned several players who will be called upon to fill the void left by Keenan.
James Smith, Jeremiah Beaman, and Edric Hill are named by DeBoer as Keenan replacements
"There's a group of guys. James Smith. Jeremiah Beaman ... Edric Hill. There's a lot of guys who will be asked to take more snaps," DeBoer said.
James Smith is already slated as a starter at defensive tackle, but he could see some snaps at nose tackle in place of Keenan. He's versatile and strong enough to handle it, and while he doesn't have the same mass as Keenan, he will give Alabama a more athletic presence at the nose when he lines up there.
Shifting him over could see Alabama then move players from the Bandit room over to defensive tackle. Guys like LT Overton, Jordan Renaud, Keon Keeley, and Kelby Collins could see snaps on the interior to take advantage of the Tide's depth there.
Redshirt freshman Jeremiah Beaman has received rave reviews all offseason, and he could be in line to start in place of Keenan on Saturday. Edric Hill can play DT or NT.
DeBoer also mentioned younger guys potentially getting snaps. JUCO transfer Steve Mboumoua could see some early playing time. He certainly looks the part, but needs more technical refinement before he's ready to play.
Alabama has the bodies to replace Keenan. They even have the talent. But there's no substitute for experience, and that part of Keenan's game is irreplaceable.