Pair of Alabama Running Backs Injured Following First Scrimmage of Fall Camp

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama completed its first scrimmage of 2026 fall camp on Thursday morning, with head coach Kalen DeBoer telling reporters that the Tide's running back room took a hit.

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"EJ (Crowell) did not scrimmage today," Kalen DeBoer said on Thursday. "He'll be out a few practices here. He won't miss any games down the road, but he did not practice today.

"AK (Dear) suffered an injury; he actually was having a nice scrimmage and scored a touchdown. We'll evaluate him and figure out the severity of that. It was unfortunate because he was having a really nice scrimmage there with the touches he got. That's kind of the status on those two."

According to sources for Tide 100.9, Crowell was in a boot, but it is largely viewed as precautionary. Meanwhile, for Dear, he was having a good scrimmage and was the most effective running back before his injury. No timeline has been set for either player's return to action following the Tide's first scrimmage.

Dear signed with the Crimson Tide out of Quitman, Mississippi, as a five-star running back in the 2025 recruiting class. He appeared in five games last season, carrying the ball 19 times for 149 yards and three touchdowns. Crowell reclassified from the 2027 class to the 2026 class to sign with the Crimson Tide as a five-star out of Jackson, Alabama.

Two injuries don't leave the Crimson Tide barren at running back, however, with Daniel Hill (junior), Kevin Riley (junior), Trae'shawn Brown (freshman), and Khalifa Keith (senior) still in the room.

In addition to the running backs, second-year wide receiver Lotzeir Brooks did not scrimmage on Thursday.

"Lotzeir's missed a couple of practices and did not scrimmage today. He'll be out for a few more practices. I wouldn't expect him to miss any games or anything like that. He did not practice today."

The Crimson Tide will return to the practice field on Sunday, August 16. The Crimson Tide will scrimmage again in one week for the second time this fall camp in preparation for Alabama's first game against East Carolina on Saturday, September 5.

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_.