One of the biggest questions of the season was the status of linebacker Keith Holcombe. Holcombe began playing baseball at Alabama during the spring of 2016 but would be back in time for spring football practice and be prepared for the upcoming season. However, this year was different as Holcombe decided to focus on baseball during the spring. The status of his football career was uncertain until the Alabama media guide released at SEC Media days didn’t list Holcombe on the roster.
When asked about Holcombe at a press conference, Saban stated, “I haven’t talked to him yet, I did talk to him before (the draft), he wanted to continue to try and pursue his baseball career. So, I haven’t talked with him since that,” “I think he can actually come back and play another year of baseball if he chooses to do that. I will talk to him again, but when we had the last conversation, he was pretty much set on trying to play baseball.” Holcombe started in 45 games for the Alabama baseball team and ranked third on the team with hits in his first full season of baseball.
This is now the third blow to the linebacker corp in just the past week. With Vandarius Cowan being dismissed from the team and Terrell Lewis tearing his ACL, the linebacker corp continues to become thinner and thinner. Alabama might have to begin transitioning outside linebackers into the middle to complement its depth.
Holcombe was a key special teams player and reliable backup in his time with the football team. He collected 11 special teams tackles and in the 2015 SEC Championship, he blocked a punt that resulted in a safety. When Shaun Dion Hamilton broke his knee Holcombe came off the bench and started for Mississippi State. However, he struggled in the game and eventually was replaced in the lineup by Dylan Moses.
Losing Holcombe stings Alabama. He is a veteran and a leader on special teams. Depth will be an issue this year for Alabama but there are ways to accommodate the depth issue.
