Freshman Running Back Earns Praise After Second Spring Scrimmage

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama freshman running back EJ Crowell has been sidelined with a soft tissue injury in his right calf for much of spring practice, and next week's final week of spring ball appears to be heading in the same direction.

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"EJ [Crowell] hasn't practiced since last week, so probably more of the same for next week," DeBoer said.

Despite Crowell's absence, Alabama's running backs have continued to take strides, with Kevin Riley reportedly being the best on the field during the Crimson Tide's second scrimmage on Friday afternoon.

"I thought Kevin Riley, when he had seams to hit, he accelerated, showed some good bursts," DeBoer said.  "He's got a good knack in between, slithering through, and finding those holes. I thought Daniel [Hill], I thought had a good week of practice. Probably didn't get quite as many opportunities to hit the big ones today. That's not necessarily always on him."

Another freshman back has stepped up for Alabama this spring: Trae'Shawn Brown.

"And so, you know, the guy that I thought had a nice week was Trae'Shawn [Brown]. Showed it, you know, a little bit today in the scrimmage, but I thought throughout the week, there was some live session, short yardage goal line, and things like that, that he shows some pop. He showed some instinctiveness on how to get that first down when it's third-and-two, fourth-and-one, whatever it might be. And it's never pretty, it's never perfect, because there's a lot of dudes up on the line of scrimmage, but I think overall, he's had some good progress here to the spring."

Alabama will take the weekend off before returning to practice on Tuesday, April 7. A-Day is scheduled for next Saturday, April 11, inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

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_.