Alabama starting cornerback Trevon Diggs will be out indefinitely because of a broken foot, head coach Nick Saban announced.
The top-ranked Crimson Tide (6-0) are expected to replace Diggs, who was injured last Saturday against Arkansas, with true freshman Patrick Surtain II.
“We’re obviously very thin and need some guys to step up and develop,” Saban said. “But Patrick has played quite a bit at his position. We do have two guys that have some experience, but we don’t have a lot of depth right now.”
Media reports said Diggs would be out for the season, but Saban did not confirm that.
Diggs, who is the brother of Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs, will undergo surgery to repair the damage to his foot on Friday, per al.com. He has recorded 20 tackles and an interception in six games this season.
The 6-2, 202-pound Surtain, has 12 tackles and a forced fumble this season. He had three tackles — including one for a loss — versus the Razorbacks.
–Florida State and Florida A&M officials are keeping a close eye on Hurricane Michael. Hurricane Michael brought catastrophic winds up to 145 miles per hour to the state’s panhandle.
“All decisions on whether or not we will hold practices or competitions over the next several days will be based on the safety of the student-athletes, staff and fans,” Florida State athletic director David Coburn said in a statement to the Tallahassee Democrat.
The Seminoles, who aren’t scheduled to play this weekend, plan to resume team activities on Saturday. Florida State’s next game is against visiting Wake Forest on Oct. 20.
Florida A&M (4-2) is scheduled to face North Carolina A&T (5-1) on Saturday, and it’s not a favorable decision, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. The newspaper cited “pushback from the (FAMU) coaching staff.”
“It’s extremely difficult. I’d be naive to say I can juggle all of these things and not be stressed about any of them,” Florida A&M coach Willie Simmons said. “Preparing for A&T is the least of the concerns at this point. Football enthusiasts might not want to hear that. Assuring the well-being of my wife, our four kids, our home and pets are top.”
–Cornerback Shilo Sanders, son of Deion Sanders, took to Twitter to announce that he has received a scholarship offer from his father’s alma mater, Florida State.
The 6-foot, 180-pound Shilo Sanders is a senior at Trinity Christian High School in Cedar Hill, Texas, and is rated as a three-star recruit on 247Sports.com’s composite board.
“I am extremely grateful and blessed to receive an offer from Florida State University! Thank you to my coaching staff and teammates at @TCCHFootball,” the younger Sanders wrote on Twitter.
Sanders has offers from about 10 schools, including Georgia, Nebraska, Oregon, Oregon State, South Carolina and Syracuse. He reportedly will make a visit to Florida State after the high school season is over. Deion Sanders is Trinity Christian’s offensive coordinator.
