Alabama LB Kendrick Blackshire Out with Wrist Injury

Nick Saban detailed the injury during the SEC Coaches Teleconference on Wednesday morning.

Joey Blackwell | Nov 16, 2022

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Alabama Crimson Tide

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama sophomore linebacker Kendrick Blackshire has been sidelined over the past four weeks due to a wrist injury, Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban revealed on Wednesday morning.

When asked a question regarding the progression of Blackshire over the course of the season, Saban said that he had suffered a wrist injury that required surgery.

"He's been injured," Saban said. "He's been out for four weeks and maybe back next week, maybe not — I don't know. He's got a wrist injury that they had to put pins in and you've gotta hold guys out when that happens to 'em because if the pins break, you got a real problem. So until he heals, he's probably on the shelf."

While Saban did not reveal an actual return date for Blackshire, he did note a possible return of as early as next week. However, with Alabama only having two regular-season games remaining against Austin Peay and Auburn, the likelihood of his return prior to the Crimson Tide's bowl game is questionable.

Saban did note that Blackshire was making progress prior to his injury.

"He was making good progress," Saban said. "He was playing well on special teams, showed some maturity, was a little bit more confident in understanding the defense and what he needed to do. So he hasn't been able to make progress lately because of his injury."

Over the 2022 season, Blackshire totaled six tackles, including one for a loss of five yards, as well as one quarterback hurry. Three of his tackles and the quarterback hurry came in the Crimson Tide's season opener against Utah State. Against Louisiana-Monroe, Blackshire recorded two more tackles, including his one for a loss. In Alabama's game against Texas A&M, he recorded one tackle on kickoff coverage.

Blackshire's final appearance of the season was at Tennessee, where he was featured on special teams. In total, he contributed in seven games for Alabama prior to his injury.

Joey Blackwell is an award-winning journalist and assistant editor for BamaCentral and has covered the Crimson Tide since 2018. He primarily covers Alabama football, men's basketball and baseball, but also covers a wide variety of other sports. Joey earned his bachelor's degree in History from Birmingham-Southern College in 2014 before graduating summa cum laude from the University of Alabama in 2020 with a degree in News Media. He has also been featured in a variety of college football magazines, including Lindy's Sports and BamaTime.

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