Injury updates from Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer reveal the state of the Tide roster as fall camp opens up
Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer provided several injury updates following the first practice of fall camp.
Alabama returned to the practice field on Wednesday to kick off fall camp. With only a month remaining before a road season opener against Florida State, the Crimson Tide are doing everything they can to prepare for what lies ahead. Part of those preparations include getting and keeping everyone healthy.
Following Alabama’s first practice, head coach Kalen DeBoer addressed the media. Part of what he provided included several updates on the status of previously injured players. Below, you’ll find what DeBoer said, plus what we think it means.
LB Deontae Lawson
What DeBoer said: “His trajectory is going up. Deontae, his leadership is the thing. I think that’s really come out, so that’s exciting. He is gonna be limited, and just the number of reps, the volume – I guess the best way to put it – and what he can take, as expected. And that was gonna be the plan, just with his timeline from the beginning.
“But it’s great having him out there. I think he feels really good about being out there. Mentally and physically, I think he’s in a really good spot. But there’s still progress to be made as we build for the first game.”
What it means: DeBoer’s answer was expected. It’s great seeing Lawson back out there just eight months after a severe knee injury, but he’s going to take some type to get his sea legs back under him. In fact, he might still not be fully back by the season opener against Florida State.
Lawson moved well out there today, but it’s clear that he’s still learning to trust that knee. The good news is Alabama has two other capable options in Justin Jefferson and Nikhai Hill-Green at off-ball linebacker. They’re both good linebackers, but it’s Lawson’s status as the field general of the defense that will be the hardest to replicate when he’s not on the field, especially after losing Jihaad Campbell to the NFL.
Hill-Green brings some field general traits, leading Colorado’s defense last season, but he’s still trying to get comfortable in a new system and a new environment. Be sure to keep an eye on how things are progressing here in fall camp. You might see a situation where Lawson starts the season in more of a platoon role with either Jefferson or Hill-Green.
WR Jalen Hale
What DeBoer said: “Where he was at a year ago with the injury in the spring of 2024, pretty significant injury at the time. Between he and our medical staff doing an awesome job of pushing forward, our whole team is proud of him, not just me. We’ve talked about that in the winter, in December we addressed it as a team. Guys being excited about him finally doing something with the team. The spring was the next step, then the summer.
“There’s reps that he hasn’t taken. Reps that other guys have. He’s still learning as we go. Every rep he’s gonna get more and more confident. He’s certainly got a lot of tools and I want to see his growth, I’m excited about that this fall.”
What it means: Hale was expected to be a big part of Alabama’s plans last season. In fact, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he would’ve been the third starting receiver alongside Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard, but similar to Lawson, it’s going to take time. The injury was severe, so even if it’s been longer, fans have to be patient with Hale’s progress.
There’s no rush either. Alabama has both Williams and Bernard back, and they’ve added Isaiah Horton out of the transfer portal to be that third starter. Not only that, but, you’ve also got Rico Scott and Cole Adams back, as well as true freshman Lotzeir Brooks. Hale will be a likely piece of the wide receiver rotation in 2025, but we just don’t know when that’ll be. Other guys have gotten a head start based on reps.
I’m predicting that Hale slots in somewhere in the WR5-6 range.
Alabama’s TE room
What DeBoer said: “It will continue to get better and better. It’s in a good spot. This was gonna be how it was when the injuries happened.
“[Josh] Cuevas is gonna continue to add volume. I think that’s the best word to use, because he’s practicing. Danny Lewis, the same thing. They’re adding volume, the number of reps from start to finish. It’s not just team, it’s not just individual. But they’ve had a really good summer, and their progress is as we had hoped, as we expected.
“And the rest of the guys, Marshall [Pritchett], I know, he didn’t practice at the end of the spring with what he had. A couple other guys, too, they’re all full-go. We got more tight ends out there now, all of a sudden, than we could have ever imagined. But they’re all competing and working together, doing a good job.”
What it means: Alabama already had a full tight end room with five scholarship players on the roster. Then for various reasons, four of them went out early in the spring, leaving redshirt freshman Jay Lindsey as the only healthy player available for A-Day. That caused the coaching staff to target two transfers in the spring portal window in Brody Dalton (Troy) and Jack Sammarco (West Virginia).
Now that everyone is back, the room is loaded up with seven bodies, plus walk-on Peter Knudson. It’s a good situation to have, but trying to figure out which guys land in the rotation could be difficult. Josh Cuevas clearly leads that room and will act as a strong option this fall, but what does it look like behind him? Lewis, Dalton and Sammarco could all be vying for playing time. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Pritchett and fellow freshman Kaleb Edwards make some noise at some point this season, too.
Here’s what I said about Pritchett in my practice observations from earlier:
“Freshman tight end Marshall Pritchett looks fantastic physically. Yes, he was seen sporting a heavy knee brace on his left leg after missing most of the spring due to injury, but his physical transformation has been remarkable. He played his senior season between 215-220 pounds, but he’s now up to 248 after spending the spring at around 235. The Charleston (SC) native has always had tremendous upside as a pass-catcher, but he may be more physically ready to handle the grind of being an SEC tight end than I originally thought he’d be.”
