ATLANTA — Keith Holcombe is no longer a two-sport athlete at Alabama. After playing football and baseball for the Crimson Tide the past three seasons, Holcombe will forgo his senior season of football in order to focus on his career on the diamond this spring.
“Keith Holcombe has done an outstanding job for us,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said Wednesday during SEC Media Days. “He’s been a great contributor not only on the field but a human being, outstanding student. Been a really, really good leader for us. And I would love for him to come back and be a part of our team, but I understand that he wanted to play baseball.
“He’s always wanted to play baseball. He’s had an opportunity to play baseball. We decided to give him the opportunity to go full-time with baseball this year and then he’d make a decision about whether he wanted to continue that year of eligibility of football. … And he has made that decision to play baseball and not be a part of our team.”
Holcombe, who served primarily as a backup linebacker last year, was left off Alabama’s updated 2018 football roster this week. He played in all 14 games last season, making three starts and tallying 38 tackles, including a team-high 11 special teams stops.
The Tuscaloosa native was also the starting left fielder on Alabama’s baseball team, posting a .290 average with two home runs and 29 RBIs over 176 at bats.
Holcombe did not participate in Alabama’s spring practice with the football team, electing instead to focus solely on baseball. He was not selected in this year’s MLB First-Year Player Draft. He finished third on the team in hits (51) as well as multi-hit games (11). Over the final 15 games, he led the team with a .346 average.
Earlier this spring, Saban said he planned to talk with Holcombe about returning to the team but stated the linebacker “was pretty much set on trying to play baseball.”
Holcombe’s departure is coupled with the dismissal of sophomore inside linebacker VanDarius Cowan. Alabama also saw junior outside linebacker Terrell Lewis suffer a torn ACL last week.
Junior Mack Wilson and sophomore Dylan Moses are projected to start at the two inside linebacker positions. However, outside of the two former five-stars, Alabama has very little depth at the position. Redshirt junior Joshua McMillon is the most experienced option on Alabama’s bench after playing in eight games last season. Alabama also has redshirt sophomore Ben Davis, redshirt freshman Markail Benton and two-star freshman Jaylen Moody on scholarship.
“I’m not comfortable at any position on our team relative to the depth that we have,” Saban said at a charity event earlier this offseason. “I wish we had more depth, I wish we had more players, I wish more guys could contribute. But regardless of that circumstance, we will try to develop and create whatever we have to do to try to develop the depth at any position on our team. So, if it involves moving players, if it involves trying to enhance the development of younger players, then that’s what we’ll do.”
Alabama will open up fall camp next month before beginning its season on Sept. 1 against Louisville in Orlando, Fla.
