Kalen DeBoer Sees Early Help at Running Back From 2026 Signee EJ Crowell

On Wednesday, Alabama added its top option in the 2026 recruiting class at the running back position with Jackson, Alabama, native Ezavier "EJ" Crowell, a 5-foot-11, 205-pound speedster at tailback.

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Crowell chose to reclassify from the 2027 recruiting class to the 2026 recruiting class earlier in the summer and shortly after, committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said that when Crowell reclassified, it was obvious who would be the Tide's top target to fill the hole at running back in the 2026 recruiting class.

"First of all, with EJ Crowell, just when he made the change to reclassify, it was immediate for us of what direction we wanted to go. And he's put together, you know, just a short career there - he could have another year left - some unbelievable numbers," DeBoer said.

Despite not having a full four seasons of high school football, Crowell still put up video game-like numbers at running back for Jackson High School, with 6,073 total yards rushing over three seasons and 87 touchdowns. Crowell has rushed for 2,372 yards and 31 touchdowns during his senior campaign and will play for the AHSAA 4A State Championship on Friday morning in Birmingham, Alabama.

"But some guys can put up numbers and, you know, it's who they're playing and things like that. He makes plays, and he can break tackles in small areas," DeBoer continued."He can run you over. He's got the ability to make you miss, and then, you know, he ends up in the end zone. And so he's got that finishing speed, too. And so as a big kid, I'm just really excited how he's going to come in. And it's really kind of amazing. We think that he should have another year, and then we're even thinking of him as being a guy that you know can kind of help us, just like a lot of these guys as freshmen, and a lot of, like I said, the '25 class are helping us right now."

Alabama signed 20 players on early signing day for the 2026 recruiting class.

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_.