Kalen DeBoer Shares Perspective of Viral Pregame Moment with Tim Keenan

Even though Keenan wasn't going to be able to make a direct impact on the field because of his injury, DeBoer said he challenged the captain to bring the energy for the team last week. It took DeBoer a second to recall the exact pregame moment with Keenan during Monday morning's press conference, but he shared his perspective.

"He really missed not being at the game in Week 1," DeBoer said. "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. I do remember now. It was on the sideline there, him standing right there right before kickoff. That’s just TK. He loves this team, and he’s been nothing but the high-end support and giving everything you got. That includes me. I feel very supported by him, for sure."

It wasn't just his coach that he was hyping up. When the Alabama defense forced a three-and-out on its first series, Keenan was the first player giving his teammates high fives as they came off the field. He was also in the center of the team huddle at the end of pregame warmups before the team went back into the locker room.

Keenan is an in-state player from Ramsay High School in Birmingham. He was originally recruited by and played for Nick Saban at Alabama, but stuck with the Crimson Tide program through the coaching transition. Keenan was selected by his teammates as one of Alabama's four permanent team captains ahead of the 2025 season.

Alabama is hoping Keenan will be able to be back on the field by the Georgia game on Sept. 27. Regardless of when he is cleared to return to play, Keenan will definitely be on the sidelines supporting his coaches and teammates.

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