Alabama head coach Nick Saban provided some injury updates during his weekly radio call-in show, “The Nick Saban Show” ahead of Alabama’s road game at No. 3 LSU on Saturday.
Both Alabama and LSU were off in Week 9, giving them time to get healthy before the matchup in Death Valley with SEC Championship and College Football Playoff implications.
Here is what Saban had to say about the injuries:
Saban on DeVonta Smith (hamstring): “Smitty’s practiced, and I’m hopeful that he’ll be very close to 100 percent by game time.”
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) November 2, 2018
Saban on Jalen Hurts (ankle): “Jalen was able to practice a little bit today, but he’s limited a little bit still. But he’s getting well very rapidly now. He’s kind of turned the corner a little bit.”
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) November 2, 2018
Wide receiver Devonta Smith has been nursing a hamstring injury for the past few weeks, and will provide another speedy option at wideout for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa if healthy.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts suffered an ankle injury during a touchdown run against Tennessee in Week 8, and had a procedure during the bye week.
Saban did not confirm the status of either player for the LSU game, but Alabama fans will be happy to hear that it seems as though both are making significant progress.
Alabama and LSU kick off in Baton Rouge at 8pm ET on CBS this Saturday.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Lucas is a digital reporter for 104.5 The Zone in Nashville, and a high school play-by-play broadcaster. Lucas has been covering SEC football for Saturday Down South since 2018.
