Alabama defensive lineman LaBryan Ray out 'at least six weeks'
Nick Saban provided a rough timetable for how long Alabama could be without LaBryan Ray after the starting defensive lineman announced Tuesday that he underwent successful surgery on his injured foot.
"I would say that LaBryan Ray is probably going to be out for at least six weeks," Saban said during his Wednesday news conference. "And then it will be how is he responding to treatment and therapy and all that type of things. I'm not saying he's going to be back playing in six weeks, I'm just saying I know it will be six weeks before he can even start back doing things. So we'll just have to see how he responds."
Ray injured his foot this preseason before reinjuring it during last week’s game against South Carolina. Through three games, the 6-foot-5, 292-pound defensive end has recorded nine tackles, 1.5 for a loss, with a sack and a forced fumble.
Freshman Justin Eboigbe came in for Ray during last week’s game and is expected to start in his place Saturday when Alabama takes on Southern Miss at 11 a.m. CT inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. The former four-star recruit made his Crimson Tide debut last week returning from a foot injury of his own.
If Eboigbe gets the nod, he will be the fifth true freshman to start for the Crimson Tide’s defense this season. Four of those freshmen are in Alabama’s front seven as Eboigbe will be joined on the defensive line by D.J. Dale at nose guard with linebackers Shane Lee and Christian Harris behind him. Freshman Jordan Battle starts at safety out of the nickel and dime packages.
“I think we’ve got to work hard with those guys to get them to play well,” Saban said earlier this week. “There’s no substitute for experience. There’s no question about that. And we do have a lot of young guys playing in the front seven, but the challenge for us as coaches is to try to teach those guys. And I think if those guys can get really comfortable with the basics and the basic fundamentals, then their ability to adapt in a game or when different things come up, they’re going to be able to adjust. But you really can’t coach experience into players. You can just try to teach them how to do things.”
WestGate Luxury Condos - To be any closer, you'd need a ticket
Andrew Bone, of BamaInsider.com, is a real estate broker in the state of Alabama.
Contact Andrew Bone for all of your real estate needs; buyers, sellers, investors, developers. Property management; BoneHomeTours.com Call 205-531-5577 or click here
