Alabama did well to avoid the injury bug during fall camp but could still be without one of its starters for Saturday’s season opener against Miami. During his Monday Zoom call with reporters, Nick Saban revealed that junior safety DeMarcco Hellams is still dealing with a sprained ankle he sustained earlier this month and is uncertain for this week’s game.
“DeMarcco will start running today,” Saban said. “He’s still probably questionable for this game. I can’t answer whether he’ll be available for the game or not.”
Hellams appeared in all 13 games last season, making three starts including both of Alabama’s playoff games. The 6-foot-1, 208-pound defender finished fourth on the team with 62 tackles while also recording 1.5 stops for a loss, a sack and three pass breakups.
Hellams is listed as a co-starter at free safety along with sophomore Brian Branch on Alabama’s official depth chart. Earlier this spring, Saban said that Branch had played at each spot in the secondary this offseason.
“He’s done a really good job,” Saban said of Branch. “And maybe we’ve asked him to do a lot of different things. We’ve played him at Star, we’ve played him at corner, we’ve played him at Money, we’ve played him at safety, so he’s played every position in the secondary. But I think, in fairness to him, we need to put him someplace and get him some reps at that position so he can feel really good about playing fast because when he’s confident that way, he’s a real playmaker.”
Along with his update on Hellams, Saban also revealed that Alabama’s offensive line is back at full strength heading into Saturday. Right tackle Kendall Randolph had been dealing with a sprained ankle while right guard Emil Ekiyor Jr also suffered a knock in recent weeks.
Alabama suspends Quandarrius Robinson
In addition to providing an injury report, Saban also announced that sophomore Quandarrius Robinson has been suspended indefinitely from the team. Robinson, 20, was involved in a three-car collision late Saturday night and was later arrested and charged with driving under the influence.
“He’ll get evaluation and also go through the protocols that we have for any alcohol or drug-related issue,” Saban said.
Robinson was not listed on Alabama’s two-deep depth chart. The Birmingham native did not see the field last season after joining the No. 94 overall player and No. 4 player in the state of Alabama in last year’s class.
