Chris Kapolivic: Jaeden Roberts is ‘in pain on a daily basis’

Jaeden Roberts has been dealing with various injuries since the spring when he suffered a lower-body injury before undergoing surgery on his hand in August.

Still, Roberts has found a way to be on the field for the Crimson Tide. Offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic praised him for his resiliency despite his obvious ailments ahead of Alabama‘s Week 7 matchup against South Carolina.

“J-Rob is one of my favorite people in the world, and he’s going through a lot. He’s in pain on a daily basis,” Kapilovic told reporters on Wednesday. “You don’t have to be a doctor to see that when you watch him move around, and he’s playing through some things that I don’t know most people would.

“So we know we’ve got to give him a series here and there just to kind of let him get his body feeling a little better, take a breath and go. He’s good with it.”

In addition to his current injury, reporters who were on hand at the practice scrum saw Roberts limping during practice. Kapilovic addressed this as well.

“He’s dealing with a few things,” the O-line coach said. “He’s living in the training room, doing everything he can do and hopefully he’ll start to feel better soon.”

Kapilovic praised the toughness of his star offensive lineman, noting that in many cases players tend to shy away from the field when they’re banged up. Roberts is different.

“He’s not going to look for a place to hide, so I have to do a job as a coach to protect him sometimes and know what’s best for him and the team,” he said. “And I think that he’s mature enough that he understands that as well. It’s been a situation that’s worked well together despite the issues.”

Based on Kapilovic’s update, it’s unlikely Roberts will be 100 percent for Saturday’s home game against South Carolina. Kickoff is scheduled for Noon ET live on ABC.