Nick Saban provides Malachi Moore, Jaylen Key injury update ahead of Texas
Nick Saban said Alabama football defensive backs Malachi Moore and Jaylen Key are day-to-day ahead of the Texas game.
He said it's probably too early to tell what their circumstances will be, but Saban doesn't think either guy has long-term issues. He said the duo won't practice, at least Monday.
"It will be interesting to see how they progress this week," Saban said.
Moore and Key were both banged up in the season opener against Middle Tennessee in which the Crimson Tide (1-0) won 56-7 on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Saban also said Monday that Emmanuel Henderson Jr. will be out for a few weeks with a hip injury. Henderson did not play in the Middle Tennessee game.
"They'll do some re-checks on him here in the next week or two," Saban said. "He was having a great fall camp, doing a great job on special teams, made a lot of progress as a receiver. So we'd love to get him back."
Moore was the starter at Star and Key, a transfer from UAB, got the start at free safety next to freshman Caleb Downs. Saban said after the game he didn't know the extent of their injuries but they would get evaluated Sunday.
Key fared well in his Crimson Tide debut. He didn't have any missed tackles and on the one time he was targeted, he didn't allow a reception, per Pro Football Focus' charting. Key also had an interception.
Moore is in his fourth season in the program. Before exiting the game, he had two tackles, no missed tackles, while allowing two receptions on two targets for six yards total, per PFF.
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Their backups are listed as Kristian Story and Earl Little II, both of whom saw time in the Middle Tennessee game. Alabama's secondary also gave snaps to players such as Jake Pope, Trey Amos and others in the season opener.
The Crimson Tide will want and need the secondary to be as close to full strength as possible when facing Texas (1-0). The Longhorns should have a solid passing game with weapons such as Xavier Worthy, Jordan Whittington, Adonai Mitchell and tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders. Leading them will be quarterback Quinn Ewers who went 9-for-12 with 134 yards in the first quarter of the 2022 game in Austin, Texas, against the Crimson Tide before he had to exit with an injury in the first quarter.
The secondary will be much different from that group, though. Alabama returns Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold at corner from that lineup, but otherwise, the other three defensive back spots are different with the departure of Jordan Battle, DeMarcco Hellams and Brian Branch to the NFL.
Nick Kelly covers Alabama football and men's basketball for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football: Injury update on Malachi Moore, Jaylen Key
