Nick Saban updates the health status of injured linebacker

With the Alabama Crimson Tide coming off of the bye week, Nick Saban provided several injury updates, including a positive update on linebacker Drew Sanders.

“Drew will start practicing this week,” Saban said Monday. “They’re going to do further x-rays to see how he’s healed and we think there’s a possibility he’ll be cleared to play in this game.”

Alabama fans have been anxiously waiting to see Sanders back on the field this season. The sophomore has been out since the Ole Miss game on Oct. 2, but it sounds like he’s inching closer to full strength.

If that happens, he could be available against LSU on Saturday.

“I think there’s some possibility,” Saban said on Thursday of the bye week. “The technology in medicine right now is like unbelievable, and they can really tell whether his wrist and thumb and all that is healed properly so he won’t get reinjured and get a setback.”

Getting Sanders back would be a nice boost for Alabama’s defense. Before his hand injury, the sophomore was proving to be a steady, all-around threat opposite Will Anderson. He was effective stopping the run, in coverage and showed the ability to get after the quarterback. Through Week 9, in five games played, the Denton, Texas, native has 20 tackles (10 solo).

With Sanders on the sideline, LaBryan Ray and Dallas Turner filled in for his reps.

Alabama will welcome the Tigers to Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 6. The kickoff is in primetime at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

Sanders steps up to fill Christopher Allen void

Alabama received a brutal blow in Week 1 of the regular season, as veteran linebacker Christopher Allen fractured his foot against the Miami Hurricanes. That loss left a void in the defense for Drew Sanders to fill.

Allen, a redshirt senior from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was one of Alabama’s most productive players on defense entering the season. It was a next-man-up situation for head coach Nick Saban and Sanders answered the call.

The sophomore edge rusher from Denton, Texas, had a limited role as a special teams contributor last season as a freshman but filled in as a more-than-capable replacement for Allen.

Sanders posted 20 tackles, one tackle for loss, two pass breakups, and four quarterback hurries in the four games before his injury.