Kane Wommack's Thoughts on Alabama's Interior Defensive Linemen: Just a Minute

Things went from bad to worse on the injury front for the Alabama defensive line last week. After already losing team captain Tim Keenan III for the early part of the season due to an ankle injury and tightrope surgery, redshirt freshman Jeremiah Beaman suffered a lower-body injury in practice.

Head coach Kalen DeBoer said last Wednesday, the same day the injury to the redshirt freshman occurred, that the expectation is for Beaman to miss the remainder of the year. Keenan, meanwhile, is not anticipated to be out for an extended period but has missed the first two games.

The No. 19 Crimson Tide blew out Louisiana Monroe 73-0 in its home opener on Saturday. Despite its shorthanded interoir on defense, Alabama still made plays on that side of the ball. Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack was asked to assess what he thought of the group during his weekly press conference.

"I think you're seeing some good things from some younger players in Isaia Faga and London Simmons. Both those guys did a good job. James Smith had a really good game," Wommack said. "I think he [Smith] was a player of the game from an interior defensive line standpoint, did a nice job for us in there as well." Smith had four solo tackles.

"I think we've got some guys that are trending in the right direction. But good teams improve, and those guys need to continue to do that as we go, especially in the level of consistent execution," Wommack added.

There has been no definitive update on the game in which Keenan will be able to make his return to the field. He didn't make the trip to Tallahassee, where the Crimson Tide lost 31-17 to Florida State in the season opener. Beaman played in that game. Keenan and DeBoer shared a moment on the Alabama sideline prior to kickoff against the Warhawks.

"He’s a high-energy guy, and I know that I really challenged him and told him we needed that for our team. It wouldn’t surprise me that we had that exchange. Him bringing that energy not just to our players, but our coaching staff, including me," DeBoer said. "I really appreciate it. He’s a captain. He’s poured into this program a lot."

Beaman's injury brought momentum to a temporary halt from what had been a strong showing in fall camp. This followed a spring practice period where signs pointed to Beaman cementing himself as a young player who was on his way to earning a larger role.

"[He's] consistent, doing his job at a high level. The challenge of those interior D-linemen is always creating production, wreaking havoc in the backfield. I think he's taken steps in the right direction to do that," Wommack said August 20.

While he thought the early returns from the team's young linemen were positive, Wommack still did not feel that the defense's overall effectiveness was on a satisfactory level.

"I still think our execution is not good enough. We've got to continue to work and push there. We’ve put some things on tape that we're going to have to answer for as the season goes on and continues," he said on Monday.