When it rains, it pours. And right now, there's a monsoon over Tuscaloosa akin to the rain Forrest Gump experienced in Vietnam. Little bit of stingin' rain. Big ol' fat rain. And rain that feels like it's coming straight up from underneath. The hits just keep coming.
On Wednesday during "Hey Coach," Kalen DeBoer revealed that redshirt freshman nose tackle Jeremiah Beaman suffered an injury in practice that morning that is believed to be season-ending. Beaman started the game against Florida State in place of injured senior Tim Keenan III, who suffered a high ankle sprain in practice during the lead-up to last week's game.
Keenan is expected to be back by Georgia, and there's increasing belief that he might return for next week's game against Wisconsin, but Alabama will head into this weekend down its starter and backup at nose tackle.
The interior of the defensive line was already one of the thinnest position groups for Alabama heading into the season. It's what made Keenan's injury initially so devastating; the guys behind him on the depth chart were highly inexperienced.
The experience and depth just took another hit with Beaman expected to miss the rest of the season. So, where does Alabama turn from here?
Alabama will need these players to step up on the DL with Jeremiah Beaman out
Beaman started the game in place of Keenan on Saturday and played 21 snaps, but two guys played around the same number of plays as him on the defensive interior. True freshman London Simmons (22) and redshirt freshman Isaia Faga (21), both of whom will be heavily relied upon this week.
If I had to wager a guess, it would be the true freshman Simmons who gets the start. He seemed to hold up well against Florida State. He's not technically refined, but he's big (303 pounds) and strong. He can hold the point of attack. Alabama's problems against FSU were more with the linebackers - I think the defensive line did its job for the most part.
Along with those two, chances are junior James Smith will likely see more snaps at nose tackle than he previously has. He'll give Alabama more of a disruptive presence at the nose, and he's strong enough to eat up blocks.
Edric Hill played the second-most snaps up front behind Smith. The redshirt sophomore could take on a bigger workload, though at 284 pounds, he might be a little thin to man the nose.
This could open the door for Florida transfer Kelby Collins, who was not listed on the depth chart ahead of the Florida State game and ultimately saw three snaps against the Seminoles. LT Overton can slide over and play some at defensive tackle, too, with Alabama potentially relying on its deep Bandit room to help fill some holes.
JUCO transfer Steve Bolo Mboumoua could see his first action as a member of the Crimson Tide this weekend, too. He might have the highest ceiling of any of the defensive linemen, though he certainly needs more time in the program to develop.
There's a lot of youth and inexperience that will have to grow up quickly, before and after Keenan makes his return. The talent is there, but there's no replacement for experience.