Jackson tears ACL, Saban confident in fall return

Injured in a non-contact play during Saturday's initial scrimmage of spring practice, sophomore defensive back Eddie Jackson has sustained a torn ACL.

I May Bend But Won't Break, Minor Set Back For A Major Comeback💯🙏
— Eddie Jackson (@2Cool_Eddie) April 7, 2014

Confirmed by ESPN Sunday night, Jackson will undergo surgery and is expected to be sidelined for several months.

Described by Nick Saban as the best and most consistent corner in spring practice, Jackson's injury, while unfortunate regardless of his potential, is really disheartening considering Alabama's lack of quality depth at the position.

Jackson, along with the likes of Jonathan Cook, Cyrus Jones, Maurice Smith, and Bradley Sylve, are expected to compete for the starting roles at the corner spots. True freshmen Tony Brown and Marlon Humphrey are also expected to vie for substantial playing time in 2014. While Jones and Sylve have the most experience of the group, neither player has been a "staple" of the Tide secondary.

In respect to Jackson's recovery, while nothing is guaranteed in medicine, Nick Saban is confident, per his own words, that Jackson will be able to return in time for fall camp.

Alabama coach Nick Saban 'confident' CB Eddie Jackson will be ready for fall http://t.co/SkBsUsUO2r
— Andrew Gribble (@Andrew_Gribble) April 7, 2014

Based on the timing of Jackson's injury/surgery, the "window" for rehab, in terms of a fall return, is not very wide. Due to this fact, it is obviously too early to know what Jackson's condition will be once August rolls around. The obvious worst case scenario would see Jackson take a medical redshirt and return to full speed in early 2015.

However, using former Tide star Vinnie Sunseri as an example, his recovery from a serious knee injury was essentially three months. As was documented in media reports, Sunseri could have played in the Sugar Bowl after tearing his ACL in late October.