Alabama’s impressive 33-14 win against Texas A&M on Saturday came at a high price.

In the fourth quarter, safety Eddie Jackson fractured his leg and will be out for the remainder of the season. Jackson finished last season tied for the lead in the SEC for most interceptions with six.

Jackson was named Defensive MVP in the national championship game win against Clemson with 3 tackles and an interception. Jackson already had an interception returned 55 yards for a touchdown earlier this season in a win against Western Kentucky.

However, Jackson won’t only be missed for his playmaking abilities at safety. Jackson was the team’s primary punt returner and returned two punts for touchdowns this season, one against Ole Miss and one against Tennessee. His return against Ole Miss — his first career punt return attempt — was for 85 yards for a touchdown in a game decided by just 5 points.

In fact, Jackson leads the nation in punt return average, totaling 23 yards per return. That’s a little more than three yards better on average than any player in the country. He’s also one of only two FBS players with multiple punt return TDs.

Finally, there is the intangible element. Jackson will be sorely missed for his leadership. The senior was in many ways the leader of the secondary, while inside linebacker and fellow senior Reuben Foster was the true signal-caller for the defense.

Alabama figures to replace Jackson at punt returner with Xavian Marks. Marks probably won’t be able to match Jackson’s production and sound decision-making in regards to when to return a punt, when to let it go and when to signal for a fair catch. However, Marks has shown potential with his 75-yard punt return TD vs. Kent State earlier this season.

Hootie Jones and Tony Brown will likely be called upon to fill Jackson’s void in the secondary. Jones had a key forced fumble against Arkansas and has three passes broken up for the season. Jones is more of an imposing physical figure than Jackson, standing 6-foot-2, 215-pounds. He’s actually similar to Ronnie Harrison, who is 6-foot-3, 216 pounds.

Alabama will also need another player in the secondary to step up to fill Jackson’s leadership role. Saban has always stated his belief in Minkah Fitzpatrick to be a leader for the team, and Fitzpatrick figures to be the most likely candidate.

“Eddie was a fantastic player for us and a great leader,” head coach Nick Saban said after the game. “I think he was an All-American player as a safety, at least in my book. We’re certainly going to miss him, but what a great player, what a great competitor and what a great guy to have in this program for the time he’s been here. He’s done a fantastic job for us, and I’m just sick for him and his family. I hate it that it’s one of the things about sports, all sports, and that we have to deal with sometimes as injuries. It’s unfortunate, especially when it happens to a great guy and a very, very good player.”

Saban might have been specifically referring to this season when he brought up Jackson being an All-American player, but Jackson literally was a Second-Team All-American last season. Jackson also earned a preseason All-SEC nod this year. In fact, he had the second-most media votes of any defensive player besides teammate Jonathan Allen.

Jackson actually tore his ACL in the spring before his sophomore season. He managed to quickly recover from the injury and returned to start at cornerback opposite Cyrus Jones. In 2015, the coaching staff asked him to switch to safety. He did and flourished with his best season to date, although this season was following a similar trajectory.

As Saban said, the team will certainly miss Jackson. It remains to be seen whether a number of other players can step up to fill the void left by Jackson’s absence.