The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the East Carolina Pirates by a final score of 48-10 in Week 1.
The Tide will hit the road for their first SEC contest of the season following last weekend’s victory, as Alabama will be in Lexington to face an extremely talented Kentucky team. Head coach Kalen DeBoer and his staff may turn to a handful of young players on both sides of the football once again this weekend, as numerous underclassmen were able to make a major impact against the Pirates.
DeBoer recently took a moment to reveal which rising stars stood out to him the most in Week 1, as the Crimson Tide head coach named multiple defensive standouts who played a critical role last weekend.
“It wasn’t major statistics, but thought guys on defense like Xavier Griffin, it’s his first game out there I thought he did a nice job.” DeBoer said. “Made a couple of nice plays, showed what he’s capable of. I think there are other guys who aren’t freshman but played some of their most meaningful snaps, not just on special teams. Guys like Luke Metz, QB Reese got out there quite a bit. Abdul Sanders, I think the linebacker core, there were some things that they did really well. I thought Ivan Taylor did some nice things too. They all have some stuff that they can get better at, but you’re never going to question the effort with those guys.”
Griffin, Metz, Reese and Sanders are all extremely talented linebackers who have flashed serious potential across fall camp. Metz was able to earn the starting role alongside Virginia Tech transfer Caleb Woodson, while the trio of Griffin, Reese and Sanders will likely continue playing a key rotational role.
Each player could quickly emerge as a difference maker on the road in Lexington, and the Tide’s defensive unit as a whole will look to keep things rolling against Kentucky in Week 2.
