What Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer said about Josh Ford injury

Alabama football will be without tight end Josh Ford with an injury, Kalen DeBoer confirmed Monday, Nov. 9. "The guy's so tough. I mean, I know he probably right now is trying to figure out how he's still going to play this year," DeBoer said. "Just who he is and his impact has been really key for our football team in a lot of ways. ... He's a uniter of our football team. He's a leader." Ford suffered a season-ending ACL injury against LSU, USA TODAY Sports learned. Ford left late in the fourth quarter of Alabama 's 31-13 win at LSU after bringing in two catches for 15 yards and a touchdown. Ford had five catches for 41 yards and two touchdowns, but mostly set the tone as a run blocker. While Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said he expects players like Danny Lewis Jr. and Jay Lindsey to take a step forward, Grubb feels Kaleb Edwards should take a leap in Ford’s absence. "I think he's one of the five or six tight ends in the country that are that 6-5, 260 pounds, (a) true 50/50 player that can block and catch," Grubb said. "You don't give any tells away when he's on the field because he can do both. So, we think the world of Kaleb. Probably going to put a little bit more on his plate." Alabama will take on Vanderbilt at 11:45 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, on SEC Network. Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter or Instagram @colingaytnews .