The injury bug has bit Alabama bad in summer practice the last few years, and it struck again over the weekend. Joshua McMillon could miss the entire season after injuring his right knee on Saturday.
Report: #Alabama LB Joshua McMillon likely out for 2019 seasonhttps://t.co/uyBsRYyUqO pic.twitter.com/sUpWriXgN9
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) August 12, 2019
Joshua McMillon was expected to be Alabama’s starter at Will linebacker this season. McMillon had been practicing as the team’s No. 1 option at the position all throughout the offseason, and the fifth-year senior had the experience to fit right in. He was a reserve on last year’s team, but he earned some first-team reps due to injury, and he was seen as one of the defense’s leaders.
Defensive coordinator Pete Golding had praised McMillon earlier in the season, saying:
“I think Josh is a very intelligent kid. Obviously, he’s an engineering major, but football comes easy to him. He understands the Xs and Os and all those things. My biggest message to Josh, and it has been what I think he’s been doing now, is he’s having the ability to affect the 10 guys around him. I think the biggest thing from that position from an athletic standpoint, right, we’ve got guys who are more athletic than he is, and he knows that and I told him that.”
Charlie Potter of 247 Sports speculates that Markail Benton is likely to be the team’s starter at Will linebacker. Benton is a redshirt sophomore, so he has experience in Nick Saban’s system.
There’s a chance that McMillon could return before the end of the season, but most have reported that he is likely to miss the entirety of this campaign.
This isn’t the first serious injury Alabama has dealt with this summer. Freshman running back Trey Sanders is probably going to miss all of 2019 after suffering a major foot injury last week. Fortunately, the Crimson Tide have plenty of talent to fill the void.
H/T 247 Sports
