Why the return of veteran DL is game-changing for Alabama ahead of Georgia matchup

Before the 2025 season kicked off, Alabama football lost Tim Keenan III to injury, forcing the Tide to play without the senior team captain for three weeks, but he is returning to the lineup just in time for the Georgia game.

Getting Keenan back from injury is exactly the news Alabama needed before heading to Athens this Saturday, and his approach to the game is why he’s a pivotal piece of the puzzle for this defense and the team overall.

Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson said Keenan is a wonderful leader, adding that things are much easier when Keenan is on the field, especially from a pre-snap standpoint.

“He is a wonderful leader,” Lawson said on Tuesday. “He brings excitement. He brings juice. He brings details to the d-line and to the defense, and you know, it makes it a little bit easier when you can say a call and TK can set the front. It’s just small things like that can make me think quicker on what the play is and things like that. TK just brings something different to us as a team, and we’re super glad that he’s back and rolling with us.”

Keenan was not on Alabama’s for the season opener because of his surgery, but he was on the sideline during the Tide’s home games against ULM and Wisconsin.

Alabama’s energy was noticeably different when Keenan was not present, and that aligns with what Lawson said about Keenan bringing the juice. Each time has a guy that is the nucleus of the team, and Keenan is exactly that for Alabama. Not only did Keenan infuse his teammates with his contagious energy, but he also had an energizing pre-game moment with head coach Kalen DeBoer before facing ULM.

“I know that I really challenged him with and told him we needed that for our team,” DeBoer said the Monday after that game. “And so, it wouldn’t surprise me that we had that exchange and him bringing that energy, not just to our players, but our coaching staff, including me. I really appreciate it. He’s a captain. He’s poured into this program a lot. And I do remember now, it was on the sideline there, him standing right there, right before kickoff. That’s just that’s TK. He loves this team, and he’s been nothing but the high-end support… feel very supported by him for sure to answer your question.”

Alabama is preparing to face a Georgia team that ran the ball over 50 times in their last game, and the Bulldogs do not give up on the run that easily. Keenan will have the opportunity to clog up running lanes and be a tremendous help for the Alabama linebackers when Georgia runs the football.

“Tim Keenan coming back will help us a lot,” Lawson said. “We know he’s going to hold the double teams for us linebackers, and we just got to fly around and make plays.”

On Saturday, Alabama will face Georgia in Athens for the first time this decade. The game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC.