Freshman linebacker Ale Kaho went through drills before Saturday’s scrimmage with the inside linebackers. Kaho, a 2018 recruit who initially signed with Washington, committed to Alabama earlier this week after receiving his release from the Huskies.
“There are circumstances — and I don’t know all the circumstances – where a guy doesn’t get admitted to the school that he signed to go to, that he gets an opportunity to go somewhere else and he gets a release or he can choose to try to get eligible over time but not be able to enroll in school,” coach Nick Saban said. “So, I think, as I understand it, he was unable to get into school for academic reasons because of their institutional policies, not because of NCAA rules. He could get into school at most other institutions. So he had opportunities to go other places. He didn’t want to sit out and continue to take other classes so he could go to the school he signed at and we were one of the people that recruited him. It came down to the wire in terms of whether we got him or not. When he got his release, we let him know that he had an opportunity to come here. We’re glad to have him. We’ll think he’ll be a good player.”
Washington coach Chris Petersen told reporters earlier this week that Kaho, who is from Nevada, asked for his release to be closer to his family.
Kaho was ranked as the No. 133 player in the nation by the 247Sports composite. He was the No. 7 inside linebacker nationally and a four-star recruit. Alabama lost both starters at inside linebacker from last year and is looking for depth at the position, though Saban declined to speculate on how soon Kaho could be prepared to help the team.
“It depends on how fast he learns, it depends on a lot of things – what kind of condition is he in?” Saban said. “How much can we do with him? Lot of questions, and they’re not bad questions. We’re glad to have the guy here and we’re looking forward to the opportunity to help him be successful as a person, as a student and as a player. But how long it’s going to take? I don’t know.”
Kaho must go through the acclimatization period required of all athletes. He’ll have one more practice in shorts and a jersey, then two practices in shoulder pads before he can wear full pads.
Injury update
Three Alabama defenders missed Saturday’s scrimmage due to injury.
Sophomore safety Daniel Wright was out with a shoulder injury. The severity of the injury remains to be determined, but it could keep him out for an extended period.
“I don’t think we’ve come to a conclusion on what the best course of action is,” Saban said. “Dr. (Lyle) Cain and family are sort of working through that right now. We’re hoping this is something that can be managed and maybe he can play this season, but that kind of remains to be seen.”
Senior outside linebacker Jamey Mosley was out with a separated shoulder. That is expected to prevent him from practicing for a few days, but Saban was hopeful he could return for the season opener. Freshman defensive lineman Stephon Wynn Jr. continued to sit out with a ligament strain in his leg that he suffered earlier this week.
