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AK Dear, Noah Rogers Set For Alabama Return Vs. South Carolina

By JR·2 min read
AK Dear, Noah Rogers Set For Alabama Return Vs. South Carolina

TLDR: Kalen DeBoer confirmed RB AK Dear and NC State transfer WR Noah Rogers are good to go Saturday, with Rogers finally getting his long-delayed Alabama debut.

  1. Alabama fans have been circling this week for a month. Kalen DeBoer told reporters that both AK Dear and Noah Rogers will be available when the No. 10 Crimson Tide host South Carolina on Sept. 26, and for Rogers specifically, that means his first snap in an Alabama uniform.

    Pete Nakos
    Pete Nakos
    @PeteNakos

    Kalen DeBoer announces RB AK Dear and WR Noah Rogers will be available this week against South Carolina for Alabama. t.co/JZNAPcF06t

    Charlie PotterCharlie Potter@Charlie_Potter

    Kalen DeBoer: "Cayden [Jones] will not be with us the rest of the season with an injury." He said AK Dear (ankle) and Noah Rogers (knee) will be available.

    Rogers' road here has been brutal. The NC State transfer went down on a cart during Alabama's A-Day scrimmage back in the spring, unable to put weight on his leg, and hasn't played a single game through three weeks of the regular season. He was spotted going through warmups ahead of the Florida State matchup last week but never got activated. DeBoer had said Rogers was ahead of schedule and could return in a week or two -- that window is apparently up.

    Adam Rittenberg
    Adam Rittenberg
    @ESPNRittenberg

    NC State transfer wide receiver Noah Rogers, who nearly played last week, is set to make his debut for Alabama against South Carolina.

    Nick KellyNick Kelly@_NickKelly

    AK Dear and Noah Rogers "will be available" Kalen DeBoer said

    That debut is a real get for Alabama's offense. Rogers caught at least 30 passes for 400-plus yards in each of his two seasons at NC State, and he'd previously spent a year at Ohio State before transferring, so he arrives with a Power 4 resume and two years of eligibility left. A healthy Rogers gives DeBoer another proven outside target the second he's cleared to play full snaps.

    Dear's return matters just as much on the other side of the ball. The redshirt freshman running back fractured his lower leg in the preseason and was pegged for roughly a six-week absence, missing Alabama's opener and every game since. With the RB room already banged up elsewhere this season, getting Dear back adds juice to a group that's needed the depth.

    Neither guy is guaranteed a huge workload out of the gate coming off injuries that kept them out for weeks, but just having both dressed changes the math for South Carolina's gameplan. Expect DeBoer to ease them in Saturday night at Bryant-Denny rather than throw either into a full-speed workload right away.

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