Alabama’s backfield depth took a hit this week, but the Crimson Tide may already have a freshman ready to absorb some of the load.
Sophomore AK Dear was injured during last week’s scrimmage and is expected to miss a few weeks. Freshman EJ Crowell was hurt before the scrimmage and will be sidelined for a few practices. On Monday, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said Crowell’s issue is not season-ending and that he “fully expects him to be ready for the first football game.”
That leaves Alabama practicing without two backs who are both expected to play meaningful roles this season. In their absence, Trae'shawn Brown looks like one of the biggest beneficiaries when it comes to extra reps, and Grubb sounded genuinely encouraged by what he’s seen.
“Man, really, really good empty cut vision, meaning when he gets into a hole, blind cut defenders, he can see and feel that next guy,” Grubb said. “Very good anticipatory skills.
He's great out of the backfield. Much better pass protector than people would think because he's short, but he plays down in the middle of defenders, he's got good feet and he's a smart kid.
So, impressive young player.”
Brown arrived as a 3-star recruit and was ranked the No. 44 running back in the Class of 2026 out of Huntsville, Texas. He joined the class late but enrolled at the University in December.
As a senior, he ran for 1,362 yards and 17 touchdowns, then carried that momentum into spring practice with a strong showing as a runner and receiver. In Alabama’s spring game, Brown had six carries for 19 yards and caught five passes for 50 yards.
The message to Brown and the rest of the room has been straightforward: keep moving.
“Coach G's (running backs coach Robert Gillespie) the best, man,” Grubb said. “He's a stud.
His vision and his coaching style is very consistent. That breeds consistency in a room where nothing changes.
The standard is the standard. He keeps guys moving forward.
The expectation is next man up. You don't give life to the problem, the guys just keep preparing and keep getting ready.
A lot of credit to coach G on that one.”
Even with Dear and Crowell out, the top of the depth chart still has established names. Daniel Hill, who split snaps with Jam Miller last season, is the likely Week 1 starter, while Kevin Riley - who had 77 total touches in 2025 - should also see more work.
Grubb had plenty of praise for both veterans on Monday.
“Daniel Hill, if I was picking guys that have had a lot of growth on this football team, Daniel would be one of the biggest ones,” Grubb said. “Not only physically, how he's transformed his body, but just also his maturity, understanding of preparation, schematically, his knowledge.
I mean, you just hear him lining guys up. He's an intelligent football player.
I think the world of him. He's put a lot of work into being one of our workhorses.
“Then Kev, same thing - maturity, knowledge of the offense, he's a bright kid. Consistently trying to work on keeping his weight up. He's got good twitch, just trying to be a little more heavy-handed in the run game, which I know he's working on.”
In Other News...
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Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb has tried to keep the focus on the long view, expressing optimism that Crowell will be back soon and should be ready for the season opener. For Alabama, the hope is simple enough: get the freshman healthy, get him on the field, and find out whether the flashes he has shown when available can translate into something more meaningful once the games begin to count. [Read more 🡒]
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The other notable development was the return of Lotzeir Brooks, who was back on the field and appeared to be fully involved after missing the previous scrimmage. Kalen DeBoer also spent a significant stretch working with the defense, a reminder that camp remains a broad evaluation process rather than a single-position showcase, and this one wrapped up after the seventh period with more questions than answers still hanging in the air. [Read more 🡒]