Alabama freshman LB steps up to play critical role for Tide against Mississippi State

Alabama football’s freshman linebacker and former five-star Xavier Griffin made his presence felt against Mississippi State on Saturday.

Griffin earned more snaps with Justin Hill and Desmond Umeozulu sidelined at the moment. The freshman was all over the place for the Tide against the Bulldogs when he finished the game with nine total tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack and one quarterback hurry. The Alabama native led the Tide in tackles in the game for the first time in his career.

Kalen DeBoer praised the linebacker after the game.

“Just even last week, he had a time or two where he’s got a chance to make a play or sometimes there’s times he can go after the quarterback and be aggressive,” DeBoer said. “Sometimes we need him to sit back and let the quarterback declare some things. And I thought he took the information, things he needed to improve from last week and went out there and made a lot of plays.”

At 6-foot-3 and 228 pounds, Griffin is a hybrid linebacker who can make plays rushing from the edge and playing off-the-ball. He was active in both spots against the Bulldogs on Saturday.

“He’s athletic,” DeBoer told reporters after the game. “He’s got length. He’s got, he’s got a motor. And so just love his mindset and him getting out there and giving us the help we needed in a game like this was critical.”

Umeozulu and Hill could continue to be sidelined in the near future. Having Griffin growing up fast is a huge plus for the Tide.