Alabama started its spring football practice on Tuesday, and coach Nick Saban announced that red-shirt senior Keith Holcombe will sit out the spring to focus on baseball.

“Keith wanted to give baseball his best shot,” Saban said. “Keith would be a fifth-year senior. He’s been through four spring practices here already. I made him a promise when we recruited him that he could play baseball. He’s always tried to do both. We met after the season and I said that ‘You’ve been through plenty of spring practices. Why don’t you just play baseball, do the best you can baseball. When baseball season is over you and I will sit down and decide if you want to come back for your fifth year.” That’s what  he doing. He’s totally focusing on baseball, which I’m good with. We’d love for him to come back in the fall. I hope he chooses to do that.” 

Holcombe is the starting left fielder for Alabama’s baseball team. The Tuscaloosa, Alabama native is hitting .361, which is second on the team, and has knocked in 13 runs so far. He has started 17 of Alabama’s 21 games. 

While playing football, he has mostly made a name for himself playing special teams. He was named to the Alabama coaching staff’s special teams players of the week five times last season. He made a team-high 11 tackles on special teams, while finishing the season with 38 total tackles. He started three games because of injuries to former linebackers Shaun Dion Hamilton and Rashaan Evans.