Nick Saban shares latest on Tyler Booker, Jaheim Oatis ahead of Alabama-Ole Miss

The Alabama Crimson Tide face the Ole Miss Rebels up next on the schedule in the midst of what’s been a shaky season for Nick Saban’s team. The Alabama head coach shared injury updates on some of his players with the game on the horizon.

That included offensive lineman Tyler Booker and defensive tackle Jaheim Oatis.

“Tyler Booker is practicing, and so is Jaheim Oatis,” Saban said. “They haven’t had issues. That doesn’t mean they’re still not day-to-day in terms of coming back and getting over injuries, but they are practicing.”

This is a good sign for both players to return to the field sooner rather than later, even if it is not precisely this week. And if it is, it is far from uncommon for coaches to be very discreet or even tell half-truths when it comes to updating the injury status of players.

So far this season, which is still quite young, Oatis totals 7 combined tackles (4 solo) and 1 pass defended. The last game he saw action on the field during was Alabama’s first loss of the season, a 34-24 defeat by the Texas Longhorns — a team seen as a rising star across the college football landscape.

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— Alabama Athletics (@UA_Athletics) September 20, 2023

Alabama and Ole Miss are set to kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday.

Crissy Froyd

Crissy covers SEC football news for Saturday Down South.