Kalen DeBoer feels freshman DL is taking steps he needs to take

Photo By Cedric Mason - Touchdown Alabama Magazine

Alabama football’s true freshman defensive lineman London Simmons has started two of the Crimson Tide’s three opening games.

This comes as a surprise to most after Simmons signed with the Tide as a three-star recruit out of Mississippi and did not enroll early. The Mississippi product got to Tuscaloosa a few months ago when he enrolled in the summer.

Simmons has since been thrust into the Crimson Tide’s starting lineup due to injuries to both Jeremiah Beaman and Tim Keenan III, who were projected to line up in front him at nose tackle this season.

The 6-foot-3, 303 pounder recorded the first sack of his collegiate career against Wisconsin when he powered through a Badgers’ offensive lineman to get to Danny O’Neil. This looked a lot like what Kalen DeBoer had been seeing out of Simmons.

“I felt like he’s gotten more and more comfortable each week with his responsibility, and then now it’s kind of gone through, where he’s expecting to make a play himself, being able to finish,” DeBoer said Wednesday during the SEC Coaches Teleconference. “Just the steps that you need a young guy to take, he’s taking those.”

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Alabama’s outside linebacker, Qua Russaw, who also sacked O’Neil in the Tide’s win over Wisconsin, told reporters he thinks Simmons is going to be good for multiple years in Tuscaloosa.

“It’s impressive,” Russaw said when asked his thoughts on Simmons making an impact as a freshman. “He’s gonna be a good ball player throughout his years here. He’s gonna be good. He was flying. We can see that.”

Keenan III is expected to return to action against Georgia next Saturday. However, Simmons is still expected to get his fair share of snaps.