Alabama's Josh Ford ‘determined’ to play Georgia after broken arm surgery, while officials plan for hurricane
Josh Ford broke his arm against Mississippi State and had surgery Sunday, but Kalen DeBoer says the tight end could suit up against Georgia.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Alabama could have one of its most important players this weekend against Georgia, even though he suffered a broken arm last week against Mississippi State.
That's a football guy for you, and that player is Oklahoma State transfer Josh Ford.
After having surgery this past Sunday to repair his arm, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer is not ruling out his return to the field just six days later in what is shaping up to be a monster showdown in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night.
"He actually broke his arm in the game on Saturday, had surgery on Sunday. He's determined to get on the football field," DeBoer said during the SEC teleconference. "He's actually progressing along fairly well right now. We'll kind of see how the week continues for him. I know where his mindset is at.
"We just got to make sure he meets the levels we need him to meet as far as being physically ready. He's doing a great job, and it's going well. We are optimistic."
HURRICANE ISAIAS THREATENS GEORGIA VS. ALABAMA SEC SHOWDOWN, AS TRUMP PLANS TUSCALOOSA VISIT
My goodness, talk about rubbing some dirt on the wound and re-entering the fight.
The broken arm for Josh Ford came when he was caught between teammate William Sanders and a Mississippi State defensive player. After heading to the sideline to be evaluated by medical officials, Ford returned to the game with what looked to be a massive wrap put together on his left arm.
You can't teach that kind of toughness, with the tight end hoping to suit up on Saturday against No. 2 Georgia, though coaches will obviously be paying attention to the damage he could sustain if he's also wearing a cast.
Officials from the Southeastern Conference, along with Alabama and Georgia, continue to discuss plans for the upcoming showdown in Tuscaloosa.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the current plan for both schools is to play on Saturday in Tuscaloosa as scheduled, according to multiple sources.
The threat of Hurricane Isaias is not going away, with the latest forecasts calling for the projected storm to make landfall somewhere along the Gulf Coast Friday evening into Saturday morning.
There are multiple factors at play with the situation, given how big this hurricane could potentially get. Remember, it's not solely about the category in which it's classified, but more so the size and amount of rainfall that will soak multiple states this weekend.
Would officials move the game out of Tuscaloosa? That's the last resort, according to multiple sources. There could be a change in kickoff time, which would allow the storm to pass through the area with enough time for field conditions to be managed before both teams arrive.
But, this will all center around mother nature and how quickly this storm moves north through the state of Alabama.
There are a number of other events around this game as well, with ESPN's "College GameDay" scheduled to be in Tuscaloosa for the matchup. But hosting the show from its normal spot across from Bryant-Denny Stadium might not be the most logical plan given the current weather forecast.
They could decide to move it indoors, or just find a replacement location on short notice.
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As for President Donald Trump attending the game on Saturday night, he spoke with reporters on Tuesday afternoon inside the Oval Office where he mentioned that he did not realize there was a hurricane barreling towards the state, but that he would not want to interfere with emergency workers.
"Hurricane and football. I love Alabama, I gotta go to a game," Trump started. "Look, if there's an emergency or if there’s a hurricane, I don't want to do anything to take the focus off all the great people who work on those things. They have some tremendously great people, I don't want to take the focus off.
"So, we'll have to see. I hadn’t heard about a hurricane. A hurricane is going in the vicinity of Alabama ... that's not good. Certainly I'm going to let the hurricane determine. I want people to be safe, that's all."
After both the SEC and Alabama released statements on Tuesday, we will see where both stand over the next 24 hours as Isaias nears landfall along the Gulf Coast.
Continue following OutKick for the latest news regarding the upcoming Georgia versus Alabama game this weekend, along with another important weekend of college football.