We continue our Alabama 2026 position previews and predictions for the 2026 season with the Crimson Tide's running back room!

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There are few position rooms in the SEC with as much pressure on it as Alabama's running back room, led by sixth-year running backs coach Robert Gillespie. The Crimson Tide's run game last season was poor, averaging 104.1 yards per game (15th in the SEC) and 3.4 yards per carry (15th in the SEC). Against Power Four competition, Alabama's run game averaged 83.1 yards per game, which would have been 133rd in college football had the Crimson Tide not piled on the rushing yardage against ULM and Eastern Illinois. Last season, Alabama's running back room dealt with a porous offensive line and was muddled by injuries to Jam Miller, Daniel Hill, and Kevin Riley.

What does Alabama's running back room look like in 2026?

The Returners

Daniel Hill - Junior (6-foot-1, 236 pounds)

Hill started Alabama's season banged up and didn't see an opportunity until midseason when Alabama went to Missouri. Still, his physical presence and reliability were felt almost immediately, catching the game-winning touchdown against the Tigers. He finished the season second on the Crimson Tide with 284 rushing yards but led the team in touchdowns with six. Hill brings bruising physicality and power to Alabama's running back room, but has slimmed down to get faster and more elusive (he now weighs 236 pounds after coming in at 244 last season), showing he is serious about being a versatile bell-cow back for Alabama's running game. Despite the loss, Hill's best game was on November 15 against Oklahoma, where he rushed for 60 yards (averaging 4.0 yards per carry) and scored two touchdowns for the Crimson Tide.

Kevin Riley - Redshirt Sophomore (5-foot-11, 198 pounds)

Riley was an unknown coming into the 2025 season, but quickly became a consistent weapon for the Tide's running back room and receiving game out of the backfield. He started two games for Alabama last season, with his best performance coming early against ULM, where he rushed for 69 yards (averaging 6.3 yards per carry). Riley ended the season with 224 rushing yards and two scores, but his biggest asset was his ability to catch out of the backfield, where he caught 19 passes for 176 yards and a touchdown. Riley suffered an injury in Alabama's 56-0 victory over Eastern Illinois, a game in which he had two rushing touchdowns, and did not play again until Alabama's Rose Bowl loss to Indiana.

AK Dear - Redshirt Freshman (6-foot-1, 214 pounds)

Dear signed with Alabama as a five-star running back in the 2025 recruiting cycle, and showed high potential in a handful of matchups for the Crimson Tide, but his reps largely came in mop-up duty last season, with 19 total carries for 140 yards and two touchdowns. His top performance came early in the season against ULM, where he rushed for 76 yards (15.2 yards per carry) and his first career rushing touchdown. Despite the early success, he had just 14 carries the rest of the season, with nine of them coming late in the game after Alabama had already throttled Eastern Illinois. Dear brings a blend of power and elusiveness to Alabama's running back room, and with the Tide having an open running back competition, he should see an increased role.

The Newcomers

EJ Crowell - Freshman (5-foot-11, 221 pounds)

Crowell was a highly sought-after running back in the 2027 recruiting class before reclassifying and signing with the Crimson Tide in the 2026 class. The in-state prospect rushed for 2,632 yards and 35 touchdowns in his final season of high school football, leading Jackson High School to a state championship. He was a popular candidate to come in and push the returning players for playing time, but a right calf injury limited his reps during spring, and we did not see Crowell for the second half of spring practice. With head coach Kalen DeBoer saying Crowell should be ready to go for June, the anticipation continues to build for Crowell. He's showcased elite speed and balance to shake off would-be tacklers and kicks it into another gear when he gets into the open field. If he can stay healthy, Crowell looks to be in prime position to earn meaningful reps as a true freshman in a season where Alabama is looking for stability at the position.

Trae'Shawn Brown - Freshman (5-foot-10, 201 pounds)

Brown was a late addition to Alabama's 2026 signing class as a three-star from Huntsville, Texas, but captured the spotlight this spring with coaches praising his work during practice and fans getting to see him in action on A-Day. He rushed for 1,362 yards and 17 touchdowns during his senior campaign, adding 13 receptions and 204 yards. With the loss of Crowell during the spring, Brown made the most of his opportunities, getting reps, albeit limited, with the first-team offense in the Tide's spring scrimmages. The odds are stacked against him with three returning vets in the room, plus Crowell signing as a five-star with the Tide, but if his work ethic in the fall is anything like it was in the spring, when he did have opportunities, Brown has a chance to be the first freshman running back on the field for the Tide this fall.

Khalifa Keith - Redshirt Junior Transfer from App State (6-foot-1, 232 pounds)

Birmingham native Khalifa Keith transferred to Alabama from Appalachian State in January after beginning his collegiate career at Tennessee. He brings two years of SEC experience with him and appeared in six games for the Mountaineers last season. A former three-star prospect from Parker High School, Keith recorded 950 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior in 2022. His addition provides a veteran in the running back room after spending three seasons in college football, with Alabama needing to replace a key special teamer from last season in running back Dre Washington, who used his final season of eligibility to play for the Crimson Tide.

Running Back Room Predictions

Alabama hasn't had a 1,000-yard rusher since Brian Robinson led an injury-riddled running back room with 1,343 yards in 2021 (Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams tore their ACLs, Trey Sanders was in a car wreck. Alabama converted WR Christian Leary and LB Demouy Kennedy to running back that season). With struggling offensive line play over the last four seasons, Alabama's run game hasn't been productive enough to produce a 1,000-yard rusher. I think Alabama goes another season without a 1,000-yard rusher again in 2026.

Several factors are at play with this prediction. 1) Alabama's offensive line has 11 new players and a new position coach, including four new starters on the offensive line. Alabama's projected starter at left guard (William Sanders) missed spring practice with a back injury. Developing continuity along the offensive line will take time, and while it doesn't appear Alabama will rotate offensive linemen like the Tide did last season, it could still be midseason before you see the offensive line hit its stride. 2) Every running back on Alabama's roster does something different at a high level. Hill is a bruiser, Dear is a speedster, Riley is a pass-catcher, and Crowell is elusive. That's not to say that's the only thing they do, but it's their best asset. Can one back step up as a bell-cow, do-it-all player, or will Alabama have to use a stable of running backs for different situations? 3) 2025 was the fewest rushing yards per game the Crimson Tide had since 1955 (104.5 ypg), and expecting that to become a top-ten rushing offense in one offseason is unrealistic, even with the changes the Tide has made along the offensive line and the running back room. It could happen, but expecting it will only lead to disappointment, even if Alabama does drastically improve its rushing attack. If Alabama can improve from 104.1 yards per game to 120 yards per game, that's over 190 yards more over the course of a 12-game season. Over the 15 games Alabama played last season, that would've been 1,800 total rushing yards. Is that ideal? Absolutely not, but it's a step in the right direction for an Alabama rushing attack that, statistically, regressed every season since 2022 with a sizeable drop in production in 2025.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.