Kalen DeBoer must be carrying the burden of six national championship trophies, 17 Bowl appearances. Yes, that’s the bar GOAT Nick Saban has left for his successor. But poor DeBoer! How could he focus on curating a winning blueprint when he is still busy saving the bridge from burning? DeBoer fell prey to bad timing again. Their season opener against Florida State is knocking at the door. Just then, Alabama co-captain and defensive tackle Tim Keenan III reportedly sustained an ankle injury. DeBoer has now gone into damage control mode. What’s the last-minute change he made?

On August 27, Mike Rodak shared DeBoer’s take on X, “Kalen DeBoer on DTs without Tim Keenan: ‘James Smith, Jeremiah Beaman — guys that have gotten a lot of reps. Edric Hill. There’s a lot of guys that will be asked to take more snaps, more reps. There’s some young guys that are gonna get thrown into the fire a little quicker than we originally thought.’” DeBoer has tapped into a next-man-up mentality. He is now counting on DLs James Smith, Jeremiah Beaman, and Edric Hill, who will see significantly more playing time.

Keenan’s upcoming tightrope surgery could force him to miss multiple games. As he recovers, DeBoer will have to name at least one member of the defensive line to step up for him against the Seminoles and perhaps other upcoming opponents. Now, from the options DeBoer already has in mind to fill 6-foot-2, 320-pound Keenan’s gap, Beaman comes off as the best fit. Why so? 

The 6-foot-4, 314-pounder redshirted his freshman season after appearing in three games. Beaman got the privilege of practicing more, thanks to his injuries. His playing time during bowl prep and during the loss to Michigan, where he finished with two tackles and a quarterback pressure, might lead to DeBoer counting on him. Now, who is next in line?

The redshirt sophomore, Hill, also comes off as a good replacement for Keenan’s role. DeBoer might go for the 6-foot-3, 284-pounder who is likely to incline more towards being a defensive end/tackle this season. That’s because he is 30 pounds lighter than nose tackles Keenan and Beaman. But so what? While DeBoer is yet to choose his guy, Hill has already been in the co-captain’s good books.

During the SEC Media Days, Keenan said, “Oh my gosh, Edric Hill is making tremendous strides. He is so naturally gifted and naturally fluent. He doesn’t know, but I be watching some of his reps sometimes just trying to make my game after his because his is so smooth and it seems effortless.” Now, it’s to be seen whether Keenan’s absence makes DeBoer count on sophomore James Smith, who’s listed as the No. 2 nose tackle on the preseason depth chart. While the head coach is yet to figure that out, his team falls prey to bad timing.

Kalen DeBoer juggles depth issues across key positions

DeBoer underwent a serious loss, as senior running back Jam Miller, the team’s top returning rusher, has been sidelined. He suffered a collarbone injury during the August 23 scrimmage. The next answer DeBoer must be looking for is when he is going to return. Well, he did not receive quite a pleasant answer. Miller is expected to miss at least three weeks of the 2025 season and is not likely to return until September 27, 2025. Who dished up some more concerns for DeBoer?

Alabama’s starting right guard is Jaeden Roberts. “He’s been practicing very limited, very limited,” DeBoer said. “So, I mean, he’s making progress, but it’s slow and steady. I know this has been going on for a couple of weeks, so a lot of the same. So nothing more than that, really.” Alabama is now counting on Geno VanDeMark, who was expected to start at right guard for Alabama before he was sidelined. Now, isn’t this too much for DeBoer to take?

After all, the head coach is busy keeping his balance, standing on quicksand. Well, SEC Mike has already given out an ultimatum on That SEC Podcast, “No excuses for Bama. If they don’t make the playoffs this year, I’m not saying they got to win the SEC like I’m projecting, but if they don’t make the playoffs, we should fire Kalen DeBoer.” An absolute ‘clock’s ticking’ kind of situation. DeBoer’s primary task right now is more than proving himself to be the best successor of Saban; he has to erase the memory of steering the team to 9-4, one of their lowest in over a decade. But the 2025 season already comes with a thrilling trailer on how it’s going to roll for the Roll Tide gang.