Terrence Ferguson has not seen the field for Alabama in 2 weeks, despite the fact he has dressed out for each of those weeks as he recovers from a high ankle sprain.

The last time he played for the Crimson Tide was when he originally sustained the injury against the Ole Miss Rebels.

Head coach Nick Saban is optimistic about the status of the offensive lineman moving forward, though, indicating that he’s nearing full capacity.

“He’s doing better. He’s practicing every week,” Saban said in his Wednesday evening press conference. “I think he’s getting better every week. I think he’s closer to probably 100 percent this week than he has been. Those high-ankle sprains are not easy to sort of get over.”

Saban sees the recovery from this type of injury as a process, which it is.

It takes a little while to develop the ability to push off and have explosive power, which is hard to play in the offensive line if you don’t have that. He’s worked his tail off to get where he is, and he’s really worked hard in practice and gone through a lot to get back to where he is. But I think he’s getting pretty close to being where we need him to be.”

Alabama will hope to have Ferguson available when it faces the No. 17-ranked Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday.