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Will James Smith be ready for Alabama football 2025 season? What Kane Wommack said
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- Will James Smith be ready for Alabama football 2025 season? What Kane Wommack said
James Smith did not play in either of Alabama football's fall scrimmages. After each, Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer said Smith has been "working through, building up" and making progress."
"He's getting closer by the day," DeBoer said after the second scrimmage.
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Smith was seen back with the Alabama defensive line for the program's 16th fall practice, running through individual drills. And according to Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack , Smith is "doing a really nice job."
"Was dinged up there for a couple of days and has come back nicely, has kind of hit all of the markers he needed to hit. We got him back out on the field the other day, and he looked fresh, fresh legs."
What does "fresh" mean for a player like Smith, one who is expected to be a starter next to Tim Keenan III on the interior of the Crimson Tide defensive line?
"He's such a havoc-style player," Wommack said. "He can create and generate a lot of havoc in the backfield, which is something I'm excited about and how we're gonna utilize him in that role."
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Smith had 20 tackles and four tackles-for-loss for Alabama in 2024, adding a sack and two pass deflections.
Alabama opens the 2025 season Aug. 30 at Florida State.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Kane Wommack shares James Smith Alabama football injury update
