Who Steps Up at Wolf to Replace Que Robinson for Alabama Defense

The Crimson Tide will be thin at a crucial position as the season's final three weeks.

Oct 12, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Qua Russaw (4) tries to bring down South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Robby Ashford (1) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images | Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala -- The No. 9 Alabama football team got an emphatic victory over the LSU Tigers this past weekend. The Crimson Tide kept its post season hopes alive with the win but it didn't come without cost as senior wolf Que Robinson was injured in Baton Rouge and will miss the rest of the season.

Alabama has backup wolves with experience already, mitigating the loss, but no option has more experience than Robinson.

“Que has done a tremendous job this season and unfortunately will not be with us for the rest of the year," said Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack. "That’s a hard thing to go through as a player. That’s certainly hard on us as a team when you have a guy that’s been so productive for us, he’s a leader for us. I’ve been so impressed with Que’s level of urgency every single day, the leadership and demanding presence in terms of holding a standard that I think he’s really brought to some of our players and guys in that room. He’ll still have to continue some of those roles of being a leader, he’s just gonna have to do that from an off-the-field role.

“We’ll have to continue to step up and move on without him. I’ve got a lot of confidence in some of our younger players that I think have stepped up in that position already. Qua Russaw and Yhonzae Pierre’s doing a really good job, starting to get a little bit more out of him. Those guys are excited for the challenge, next man up mentality. As the season goes on, these are the defining moments—do players step up in the moment when they're needed? And ultimately that will determine our success here on the back end season.”

Russaw's appeared in all nine games this year, but has dealt with a lower leg injury after leaving the Wisconsin game with injury. He's accumulated 20 tackles with a sack, an interception and a forced fumble. Pierre's played in eight games but has also dealt with an upper body injury. He's tallied four tackles with two pass breakups.