Alabama defensive lineman LaBryan Ray will miss at least the next six weeks while recovering from surgery on his foot, coach Nick Saban said Wednesday.
Ray, a preseason All-SEC selection, injured his foot during Saturday's victory at South Carolina. Saban said the timetable for his return depends on how he responds to treatment and rehab.
"I'm not saying he's going to be back playing in six weeks," Saban said. "I'm just saying I know he'll be six weeks before he can even start back to doing things. We'll just have to see how he responds."
With Ray sidelined, Alabama is likely to turn to true freshman Justin Eboigbe to start. He'll be the fourth true freshman starter on defense, joining defensive lineman DJ Dale and linebackers Christian Harris and Shane Lee.
Alabama is also without freshman defensive lineman Antonio Alfano. The No. 1 defensive tackle in the 2019 class, according to ESPN, has not been practicing with the Tide.
"The guy basically quit," Saban said. "He quit going to class. He quit coming here. We tried to encourage him. We tried to help him. We tried to set up counseling sessions for him to help him any way we could. And all those things are still available to him if he wants them. But he didn't respond to any of the things. So until he responds, you have to assume he quit."
Alfano's father, Frankie, posted on Twitter on Friday that his son's grandmother was "very ill and is still fighting on life support." Frankie Alfano added that his son had not attended classes or practices.
Alfano was not in the transfer portal as of Wednesday afternoon, though his father tweeted that Antonio had asked to enter it. Saban said Wednesday that he doesn't "really know much about that."
Second-ranked Alabama (3-0) hosts Southern Miss (2-1) on Saturday.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.