Athletics are always in season at the University of Alabama for Keith Holcombe, who is coming into his own as an inside linebacker after excelling in the spring as a left fielder.
Regardless of the sport, Holcombe usually wears eye black.
"Growing up, my dad said if you look good, you play good," Holcombe said in a news conference this week. "I'm not the biggest guy, so I have to improve my intimidation factor."
The 6-foot-4, 227-pounder from Tuscaloosa may not be the most recognized face on a defense that includes Jonathan Allen, Reuben Foster and Eddie Jackson, but he is taking advantage of his increasing opportunities each week. In last Saturday's 48-0 thrashing of Kent State, the redshirt sophomore tallied a career-high six tackles.
Holcombe has 14 tackles this season, tied for fourth on the talent-rich defense that is allowing 280.2 yards and 14.8 points a game. Alabama leads the Southeastern Conference in rushing defense, allowing 67.5 yards per contest.
"Keith has done a really good job for us," Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said. "He's battled a little bit with some injury issues and things like that, but he's been a great special-teams player for us and he played really well last week. He's getting a little more opportunity to play, and hopefully we can keep him healthy and he can continue to progress.
"He's been around here a little bit, so he knows what's going on and what the expectation is and plays to it pretty consistently."
Holcombe was a four-star linebacker prospect in 2014 out of Hillcrest High, which is six miles from the Alabama campus. He also was a baseball standout, hitting .467 and stealing 31 bases as a Hillcrest senior, which led to him becoming a 37th-round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Having the desire to play both sports for the Crimson Tide, Holcombe redshirted during the 2014 season and totaled nine tackles last year. Holcombe's most notable play in 2015 was a blocked punt against Florida in the SEC championship game, which gave Alabama a 2-0 lead in its eventual 29-15 triumph.
Holcombe went out for baseball after the Crimson Tide won the football national championship over Clemson in January, and he hit .279 with eight RBIs in 37 games. He took a break when the Tide conducted their 15 spring football practices, and now he's back to making tackles.
"It's fun just going out there and flying around to the ball and feeling like you're a little kid again, which you've always dreamed of doing," Holcombe said. "That's what they recruited me to come here and do."
Alabama is coming off a thorough performance - the Crimson Tide led the Golden Flashes 41-0 at halftime - that was pleasing to Saban and the players. Holcombe believes Alabama is close to playing a complete game and hopes it can happen Saturday night against visiting Kentucky.
Foster said this week that he is motivated by Holcombe, but Holcombe doesn't expect to be compared to Foster any time soon.
"Reuben is a freak of an athlete," a smiling Holcombe said. "If I tried to hit as hard as him, I might break my body in half."
Williams arrested
Alabama senior outside linebacker Tim Williams was arrested early Thursday morning by university police and charged with carrying a pistol without a permit. According to court records, officers approached the vehicle in a Publix parking lot because they smelled marijuana.
A passenger said the marijuana was his and did not belong to Williams, but an officer found the gun under Williams' seat.
"This kind of behavior is not condoned in our program," Saban said Thursday afternoon in a released statement. "We are currently in the process of reviewing all of the information. Once we have a complete understanding of the situation, we will determine what we need to do in terms of the appropriate discipline."
Departure confirmed
Saban on Thursday night confirmed that redshirt freshman quarterback Blake Barnett has withdrawn from school. Barnett started the 52-6 opening win over Southern California, played in three of Alabama's first four games and actually led the SEC in passing efficiency.
"The quarterback position is a very unique position where only one player can play," Saban said in a released statement. "We are very disappointed any time a player leaves the program who feels he can compete for a starting position elsewhere rather than here at Alabama. We wish Blake the very best of luck in the future."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.