Alabama starting tight end Josh Ford, who played with a broken arm the last month, will likely miss the rest of the season with a lower-body injury, coach Kalen DeBoer told reporters on Monday.
Ford caught his second touchdown pass of the season during Saturday's 31-13 win at LSU on Saturday. He was injured in the fourth quarter and had to be helped off the field.
The former Oklahoma State transfer has been a big part of the offense, providing a physical presence in the running game as well as an option through the air.
"I mean, the guy's so tough," DeBoer said. "I know probably right now he's trying to figure out how he's still going to play this year. It's just who he is. And his impact has been really key for our football team in a lot of ways. Just a guy that's a uniter. You got uniters and dividers, I think, and he's a uniter of our football team. He's a leader.
"I think we go back to spring ball and talked about the physicality of what he brought and how other guys fed off that. So we're going to have to find ways to make up the gap that he leaves."
Ford broke his arm during a win at Mississippi State on Oct. 3 and finished the game. He had surgery the following day, getting a titanium rod put in his arm, and was back in time to see the field against Georgia the following weekend.
He finishes the season with five catches for 41 yards and two touchdowns.
Alabama has featured a handful of tight end this season: starter Kaleb Edwards, who also caught a touchdown against LSU, and backups Marshall Pritchett, Danny Lewis Jr., and Jay Lindsey.
Pritchett has 20 catches for 246 yards and two touchdowns.
Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said they'll likely put more on Edwards' plate moving forward, and that Lewis and Lindsey would likely have expanded roles as primarily in-line blockers.
Alabama plays at Vanderbilt on Saturday, and will finish the regular season at home against Chattanooga and Auburn.
