Alabama football kept piling up injuries ahead of its Week 11 matchup at Kentucky.

Head coach Nick Saban said on the Crimson Tide Sports Network pregame show that at least three starters will be unavailable: Deontae Lawson (ankle), Jaylen Key (quad) and Ja’Corey Brooks (shoulder). Leading wide reciever Jermaine Burton is also “sick” and might miss Saturday’s game in Lexington.

All four starters weren’t spotted in uniform during warmups on Kroger Field. Burton wasn’t with the starting offense as Alabama took the field.

“We’re probably as nicked up as we’ve been all season,” Saban said. ” … This is as many guys, significant players, what we’ve had that haven’t been able to play in a game probably all year.”

Burton has 26 catches for 537 yards and five touchdowns. He’s developed into a favorite deep-ball target for quarterback Jalen Milroe. About 70 minutes before kickoff at Kroger Field, Milroe was warming up with Isaiah Bond, who has a team-high 28 catches for 420 yards and three scores. Brooks had been more of a special teams contributor with three catches and a blocked punt this season.

Lawson, a linebacker, got hurt attempting to tackle LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels last weekend. Key got hurt attempting a pass breakup in the first quarter. Neither practiced this week.

Lawson is likely to be replaced by Jihaad Campbell and Georgia transfer Trezmen Marshall. Key’s absence can cause the secondary to be configured depending on who Alabama slides next to freshman Caleb Downs at safety. Options include Kristian Story and DeVonta Smith — who’s in uniform for the first time this season.

“I think the depth of our team is younger than it’s been in the past,” Saban said Thursday on his radio show. ” … It takes a while for (freshmen) to develop. We’ve had a lot of guys on our team now that’ve had the opportunity to develop through the season. I would say our depth is better than it has been. But at some positions, we’re, we don’t have a lot of depth. It’s gonna be a challenging opportunity for some of the young players.”

The No. 8 Tide (8-1, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) play Kentucky (6-3, 3-3) at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.

This post will be updated.

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].