Nick Saban Praises Miller Forristall, Gives Injury Updates to LaBryan Ray and Carl Tucker
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — University of Alabama coach Nick Saban and his team are preparing to take on the Tennessee Volunteers this weekend, but first, the Crimson Tide coach took to the radio airways on his weekly show 'Hey Coach' to discuss a plethora of topics, including a better indiction of when Carl Tucker (hamstring) and LaBryan Ray (elbow sprain) can return.
"[Carl] is still going to be questionable for a while longer," Saban said. "We're hopeful that in another week or two, he'll be able to start doing some things again.
"He's [LaBryan] still questionable. He has practiced some, but it's also been bothersome for him. I don't know that he's quite ready yet either."
While it appears both will miss a second consecutive game, the Crimson Tide will have tight end Miller Forristall available, who Saban was very complimentary of on Thursday evening.
"He hurt his ankle the first play of the game last week and just toughed it out and played the rest of the game," Saban said. "He's gonna be ok this week, but what great competitive character this guy has. It's guys like that that really make your team what it is.
"He is a great leader, works hard, puts the team first, does a lot of dirty work. Does a good job in pass protection and run blocking. He is an extension of offensive line, but is also a good receiver. He's a blue collar guy."
Concerning the Volunteers, their starting quarterback job is up in the air due to senior Jarrett Guarantano's mishaps against Kentucky and Georgia, but Saban seems to have an idea of who the Crimson Tide will face.
"I think (Brian) Mauer will probably play," Saban said. "We have a lot of respect for (Jarrett) Guarantano. They both played against us in the past. I think both are very capable, good athletes."
Live Updates
- For Saban's final word, he asks what will be this team's DNA? Can they keep up the same competitive spirit week in, week out? "Consistency in performance is the most important thing we need to get out of this game," Saban said.
- Erdahl asks Saban if Lane Kiffin's personality gets under his skin, and he laughs it off. "I like Lane," Saban said. "He's very bright. He's smart. He did a really good job here."
- Saban says one of the toughest things he has to fight in recruiting, is other programs telling prospects there isn't many opportunities to see the field early on at Alabama. He notes that he tries to recruits 'dogs'. "We get a lot of dogs here," Saban said. "Guys that have a lot of competitive spirt and want to be the best."
- Tight end Carl Tucker is still questionable with a pulled hamstring. From what it sounds like, both him and defensive lineman LaBryan Ray (elbow sprain), are not going to play this weekend against Tennessee.
- "Miller [Forristall] always puts the team first," Saban said. "He is a great leader... He is kind of an extension of the offensive line. Guys like that really make your team. He does everything we ask him to.
- "This Tennessee team is a lot better than what they showed against Kentucky last week," Saban said.
- Erdahl, a native of Minnesota, asks Saban just how much he keeps up with the landscape of college football throughout the season. He says doesn't watch much outside of their own game and the opponents they play. Saban said he doesn't see any NFL action on Sunday due to all the film he watches from the previous day.
- Erdahl asks Saban about wide receiver John Metchie II's development since he hasn't played competitive football for very long. Saban says Metchie has great competitive character and does everything on and off the field right.
- Saban goes on to talk about how proud he is of the second-half performance from his team against Georgia. He told his players in the beginning of the week it was going to come down to the final minutes given the past games against the Bulldogs.
- Pee Wee, who is always the first caller into the show, comments on how fantastic was the post-game locker room celebration was and Gold notes how good of a dancer Saban is. "I just love seeing our guys happy," Saban said.
- Saban has now joined the set with a big smile, saying how much he missed being in-person with Gold last week as he dealt with a false-positive COVID-19 test. He says he felt great last week and had to do it through Zoom, but this week has a cold and is in-person. You can tell the coach is in a good mood.
- The first guest of the show is Crimson Tide tennis coach George Husack who is previewing the team's tournament at Mississippi State this weekend. Alabama will play LSU on Friday, Tennessee on Saturday, and the Bulldogs on Sunday.
