🏈 With one game Liner burns redshirt— Saban: "I hate this rule..."

[BAMANEWSBOT]

Alabama freshman Dee Liner was one of the bigger names in the 2013 recruiting class. But, through seven games, a redshirt seemed likely. He even Tweeted about the likelihood of sitting out the season early in the fall.

Alabama coach Nick Saban, however, said the Muscle Shoals product will likely take the redshirt off Saturday against Tennessee.

"We weren't going to play Dee Liner," Saban said on his weekly radio show Thursday evening. "We've been coaching him and trying to develop him. Well we had him ready to play last week, but we didn't put him in the game, but we're probably going to have to play him in the game this week as a defensive lineman."

This was all part of Saban's spirited discussion of redshirt regulations.

"I hate this rule," Saban said. "If a guy plays in one play in one game, you cannot redshirt him. It has to be total abstinence from playing the whole season. I wish they'd make a rule where a player could play, like for a medical (redshirt), if you play in less than half of the games in the first half of the season, you can still get your year back. ... I wish they'd do the same thing for freshman."

Michael Casagrande reports

 

[riz]

Rules is rules. Can't agree with coach on this one. If you play, you play. Otherwise, you could insert guys in for "trial runs" and if their performance wasn't up to snuff, take a mulligan on it.

I'd like to think we don't need him that badly for one game, especially against Tennessee.

 

[bama alum]

Thanks, Fanning...

 

[TerryP]

Thanks, Fanning...

Doesn't help the situation, definitely.

It hurts having guys like Ball and Tomlinson dealing with injury. I'm not sure if we could have counted on Wilson Love...but he's another DL out.

 

[planomateo]

So sounds like CNS isn't wanting him to play for the rest of the season, but a game or two due to necessity.