In what turned out to be his final play for the foreseeable future, Keon Sabb exemplified the type of effort it’s going to take to turn Alabama’s season around.
On Monday, Kalen DeBoer announced that the starting safety will “be down for a while” with a lower body injury. Analyst Greg McElroy, who called Alabama-Tennessee for ESPN, said during his radio show on Monday that Sabb suffered a broken foot.
“Do you realize that Keon Sabb played three quarters of the game with a broken foot?,” McElroy said on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning on WJOX-FM in Birmingham. “A broken foot, ladies and gentlemen. And he did it because he loves his team. He didn’t have to. The guy could’ve had season-ending surgery last week, opted to say, ‘I’m gonna keep playing.’”
Early in the third quarter, Sabb sprinted across the field to break up a would-be long completion to Tennessee’s Squirrel White. Sabb sprinted at full speed, gave maximum effort and showed toughness until the end, which saved Alabama’s defense on that possession. It’s unknown how long Sabb will be out, but that type of leadership reverberated throughout the team.
“That was awesome,” sophomore safety Bray Hubbard said. “That’s a guy that’s been fighting a hard injury and he’s gutting it out for us. That’s what we do it for, for each other.”
Hubbard stepped in for Sabb last Saturday and played the most snaps of his career to date (51), and finished with the second most tackles on the team (nine). Moving forward, he will assume Sabb’s position and start full-time.
“Bray’s been working hard for this opportunity,” DeBoer said. “He worked, not just last week, but every week to be ready. Our team really believes in him. He does a lot of things on special teams, you can see it every day in practice. He’s been around the program and now it’s his time.
“There’s more things I want to say about Keon Sabb and what he did to try to go out there and help our football team, but there’s a next-man-up mentality and I’m excited for the opportunity that Bray has in front of him.”
Hubbard, an Ocean Springs, Mississippi native, has had an interesting path to this point. A high school quarterback, Hubbard was a two-time Class 6A Mr. Football in Mississippi and amassed over 10,0000 total yards and 100-plus total touchdowns in his career. Nick Saban recruited him as an athlete in the 2023 recruiting class before settling on safety last season. He played nine games as a freshman on special teams, earning player of the week honors during the LSU week.
He made one of the biggest plays of the Tennessee game to give the offense an opportunity to come back late in the fourth quarter. On a third-and-7 with 3:21 remaining, Hubbard made a strong open field tackle to force a three-and-out.
At 6 foot 2, 204 pounds, Hubbard brings a different element as a tackler, an area where Alabama has struggled. And his experience on offense has been helpful so far in his short college career.
“Guys have to be ready at a moment’s notice,” defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said. “Bray Hubbard was a great example of that. Goes about his business workmanlike every single day and really prepares with an expectation that he’s going to go in, and he produces at a really high level.
“It’s certainly an opportunity for us to be able to point toward how critical practice habits have to show up one way or another in games.”
Hubbard’s one of several players who will be counted on Saturday and moving forward. In addition to Sabb’s injury, fellow safeties DeVonta Smith and Red Morgan suffered injuries on Saturday. True freshman Zabien Brown was also limited in the game.
DeBoer stated on Monday that he expects all three to be available for Saturday, but reserves like Jaylen Mbakwe, King Mack, DaShawn Jones and Zay Mincey have to be prepared for a starter’s workload if needed.
That challenge is compounded by a Missouri offense that’s led by quarterback Brady Cook and highly-regarded receivers Luther Burden and Theo Wease. They’ll face an Alabama secondary that’s been vulnerable to big plays.
“Sometimes it’s just fundamental stuff and stuff we didn’t do on our part,” Hubbard said of the struggles. “Really it just comes down to us playing the right technique.”
Hubbard, now in a starting position, will to be counted on to rectify some of those issues, and play at a high level for Alabama to win and right the ship going into the bye week. His support system is within the building: mainly Sabb who he has a close relationship with, and senior Malachi Moore. Their message to him this week has been short and simple yet reassuring.
“Just do your thing,” Hubbard said. “You know it, just go do it.”
Alabama continues to build on top-ranked recruiting class
On Tuesday, Alabama received good news on the recruiting front when composite four-star tight end Marshall Pritchett announced his commitment to the Tide, flipping from North Carolina. The 6-5, 211-pound prospect is the second tight end in the 2025 class, alongside four-star Kaleb Edwards, and is the 23rd commit in the No. 2 overall ranked class according to 247Sports.
Pritchett is the second prospect to flip to Alabama in the last week, joining defensive lineman Kevonte Henry who was previously committed to Mississippi State. Henry is the No. 2 junior college prospect in the country.
Thankful for this opportunity, excited to get to work in January💯
THANK YOU LORD🙏🏻@andrew_ivins@JeremyO_Johnson @demetricdwarren@tomloy247 @Swiltfong247 @adamgorney @MohrRecruiting @chadsimmons_ @DAWGHZERECRUITS @coachdtwhite @MikeTSinger pic.twitter.com/lukPVEPQL3— Marshall Pritchett 2025 (@MarshallPritch) October 22, 2024
Pritchett’s physical profile favors Caleb Odom, a tight end prospect who’s playing wide receiver this season. He nicely complements Edwards, a more traditional tight end. As November approaches, Alabama’s put together one of the best offensive recruiting classes in the country, highlighted by four five-star recruits and seven four-stars prospects every position.
On defense, Henry is a more college-ready prospect who can add immediate help to a defensive line that will endure a good amount of attrition after this season via graduation and the NFL Draft. Henry, at 6-4 and 240 pounds, is expected to bulk up and play bandit in Alabama’s defense, a position currently manned by Jah-Marien Latham and LT Overton.
On the field there’s been some struggles recently for the Tide, but it’s a positive sign that the message by the coaching staff is resonating on the recruiting trail and is continuing to lead to strong talent acquisition.
(Photo of Keon Sabb: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
