Alabama offensive lineman Cam Robinson may be returning earlier than expected, after suffering a high ankle sprain against Tennessee two weekends ago.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban said Robinson will be limited in practice Monday, but has been able to run along the sidelines only 10 days removed from his injury.

“We haven’t ruled him out of the game. We’ll have to see how he progresses this week,” Saban said. “He has run on a treadmill and done well at that. We’ll see how he moves around today, not really in practice, but just on the side. If he continues to make progress, he could be a guy that could be available for the game.”

That doesn’t sound overly confident, but it’s something.

Getting the true freshman Robinson — who has been Alabama’s most reliable offensive lineman this season — back against LSU on Saturday would be a huge boost to the Tide’s offense. Robinson has started every game this season and the search to find his replacement has been interesting, with Austin Shepherd and Grant Hill both being mentioned as possible candidates for the job.

But all of the handwringing over finding a replacement for him could end up being for nothing if he suits up this weekend in Baton Rouge. That would be time wasted that, for once, Nick Saban could live with.