Alabama’s head coach Kalen DeBoer struck a somber tone to open his Monday press conference, just days after a 31–17 defeat to Florida State. Before addressing football, he paused to recognize a Crimson Tide legend.
“First of all, just want to send condolences out to Lee Roy Jordan’s family,” he said. Jordan, who passed away over the weekend at the age of 84, was a captain under Bear Bryant, an All-American, a College Football Hall of Famer, and later a Dallas Cowboys star. “Just a huge part of this program and the past here.”
The coach then moved to the injury report. Wide receiver Ryan Williams will go through concussion protocol this week. Offensive guard Jaedan Roberts “was fully cleared” and available against Florida State but did not play. Defensive lineman Tim Keenan and running back Jamarion Miller remain week-to-week as they recover.
While injuries remain a storyline, the bigger message centered on execution and effort. “Yeah, there was…we were certainly disappointed in some effort situations that happened,” he admitted. “It surprises you sometimes when it happens especially with certain guys because of the effort that they put in day in and day out.” He pointed to urgency and focus during the week: “That’s a word that I use a lot, and it’s going to be something I use a lot more this week…intentional. Being intentional with reps, with communication, with effort. That’s where it starts.”
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The Crimson Tide trailed by 17 but clawed back into striking distance in the second half. “We hedged our way back in the game,” the coach said. “Really, we should have had the ball third and 11 on defense with nine minutes to go. I would have felt like, man, this thing’s going to happen… there was a real belief and confidence building on the sideline. You got to finish. It comes back to just that effort, but it has to happen from the very first play.”
Quarterback Ty Simpson, making his first career start, drew both encouragement and critique. “He’s a guy that takes ownership himself,” the coach explained. “There was a time or two where he probably could have avoided having to get to that point by just ripping it…just trusting himself. But he also kept some drives alive. Came up short there right at the end of the game. That’s a tough one, where he came up a few inches short, but the effort was there. You can see that trying to fight for every inch.”
The coach closed by delivering a clear message to his team before the home opener. “Don’t overthink this. Just go out and ball out,” he said. “Play with an edge too, right? Because we got something to prove.” Alabama will host Louisiana-Monroe at 7:45 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 6th.
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