Daniel Hill spent the preseason buried beneath the noise around Alabama’s backfield. The Tide missed out on a portal difference-maker, Hollywood Smothers flipped from Alabama to Texas in January, and most of the buzz shifted to the young names: five-star freshman EJ Crowell, fellow freshman Trae'shawn Brown, and rising sophomore AK Dear.
Through two games, though, Hill has forced the conversation back to where it belongs.
The junior has taken over as Alabama’s clear RB1, and he’s done it by earning the trust of Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb. On the road against Kentucky, Hill handled 18 carries for a career-high 104 yards. For the season, he’s averaging 5.6 yards per carry after finishing last year at 3.8.
The improvement didn’t happen by accident. Hill put in work this offseason to trim down, add explosiveness, and sharpen his game.
That burst showed up in the third quarter in Lexington when he turned what looked like a 34-yard touchdown run into a huge gain before being ruled out at the three. He punched in his second touchdown of the afternoon on the very next play.
That outing marked the first 100-yard rushing game of Hill’s college career. It was also Alabama’s first 100-yard performance by a running back since Jam Miller did it against Vanderbilt last season.
“That's the stuff you want to coach for,” Grubb said on Monday. “To see guys like Daniel Hill grow in their role and earn it.
Nothing has been given to him. He earned every carry he got in the football game.”
Hill knew Alabama was chasing help in the portal, and Smothers’ commitment to the Tide came while the window to enter was still open. Even with that looming, Hill stayed put and kept competing.
“Happy for his success," DeBoer said on Monday. "He has worked and stayed the course.
He could have gotten down a year ago. Back this year doing the things, and you can see he is one of the guys who has improved the most on the football team.”
The payoff has already shown up in the numbers. Alabama is 30th in the country in rushing yards per game through two games, a small sample but a sharp step forward from last season, when the Tide finished 129th in the same category.
There’s still talent waiting in the wings. Crowell and Brown both bring plenty of upside, and Dear is expected back from injury in the next week or two. But for now, Hill is sitting at the top for a reason.
That matters for an Alabama offense that could soon have real depth in the backfield. With Hill, Crowell, Brown, and Dear, the Tide may end up with four quality options to lean on, which would take pressure off young quarterback Keelon Russell.
And if the offensive line keeps trending the right way, the run game that looked shaky before the season could turn into one of this team’s better assets.
In Other News...
Alabama Had An Unexpected Game Problem While Trying To Settle Keelon Russell
During the third quarter against Kentucky, Alabama hit an unexpected snag while trying to settle in Keelon Russell, as the helmet communication link between the quarterback and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb went out. It was the sort of disruption teams prepare for but rarely want to test in real time, especially with a young quarterback still finding his rhythm in a live game.
Russell said the Tide had practiced for that kind of situation and were able to shift to sideline commands without losing control of the offense. Alabama kept rolling anyway, finishing off a 45-17 win, and the episode offered a small reminder that even in a lopsided game, the details of communication can still matter. [Read more 🡒]
Alabamas Backfield Picture Is Finally Starting To Get More Interesting
Alabamas SEC opener offered the clearest look yet at how the backfield is starting to sort itself out. Daniel Hill was on the field for 42 of 59 snaps and handled 18 carries for 104 yards, giving the Tide a steady lead option as the staff leaned more heavily on him than it had earlier in the season. Behind him, the rotation stayed wide open, with freshmen Trae'shawn Brown and EJ Crowell getting limited work and Kevin Riley seeing only a few snaps.
AK Dear remained out because of injury, which keeps another layer of uncertainty in play for a group that has already shown both upside and inconsistency through two games. Alabama has had its share of productive runs and touchdowns, but negative plays have also chipped away at the overall efficiency, so the next question is whether Hills workload becomes a one-game adjustment or the first sign of a more settled pecking order. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State's Latest Shakeup Comes Right Before Alabama
Florida State made a notable leadership change just days before its meeting with Alabama, announcing that Michael Alford is no longer the athletics director after four years on the job. Bruce Warwick will handle the role in the interim as the school begins the search for a permanent replacement, adding another layer of uncertainty around a program already under scrutiny.
The timing matters because the Seminoles are trying to steady themselves amid concerns about the football programs recent performance under Mike Norvell. With Alabama looming, the administrative shakeup only adds to the sense that Florida State is entering a critical stretch with plenty still unresolved around the direction of the program. [Read more 🡒]