Will Alabama Have a 1,000 Yard Rusher in 2025?

TUSCALOOSA, Ala- Alabama has a storied reputation for producing exceptionally skilled running backs, and the Tide currently boasts four former players in the league who finished the 2024 NFL season with over 1,000 rushing yards. Nick Saban was well-acquainted with this occurrence, as the Saban era featured nine different 1,000-yard rushers, including two in 2012: T.J. Yeldon and Eddie Lacy, who both exceeded 1,000 yards that year. Despite the remarkable NFL success of these former Alabama backs this season, the Crimson Tide has not had a 1,000-yard rusher since Brian Robinson's performance of 1,343 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2021.

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Kalen DeBoer enters his second season with the Crimson Tide after a solid first year in Tuscaloosa in which the Tide finished 9-4 and 5-3 in conference play. Alabama failed to produce a 1,000-yard rusher or receiver, with Jalen Milroe leading the team in rushing last year with 726 yards on 168 carries, which included 20 rushing touchdowns.

Alabama's second-leading rusher last season was senior running back Jam Miller from Tyler, Texas. He recorded 668 rushing yards on 145 carries, scoring 7 touchdowns while averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Miller surpassed 100 rushing yards once during the Tide's second game of the season, helping Alabama defeat USF 42-16 with a standout performance of 140 yards and a rushing touchdown. Additionally, he ran for two touchdowns in two separate games last year, against Vanderbilt and Missouri.

The Crimson Tide's third-leading rusher is no longer on the team, as Justice Haynes, a sophomore running back, transferred to Michigan on Christmas Eve, just before Alabama's 19-13 loss in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa. Haynes rushed for 448 yards on 79 carries, averaging 5.7 yards per carry, and scored seven touchdowns. He surpassed 100 rushing yards in a game once last season, against Western Kentucky, when he rushed for 102 yards on four carries and scored a touchdown to help Alabama win 63-0.

After Haynes, there really isn't much experience. The only other rusher gaining over 100 yards in a season for the Tide is Richard Young who had a limited role last season but showed promise and potential when his number was called with Young recording 146 rushing yards on 26 carries to go along with his two touchdowns which came in two separate games with the Sophomore running back recording a touchdown in Alabama's 42-13 win against LSU back on November 9, and then he scored one in the Tide's 52-7 win against Mercer.

Alabama looked to the portal back in January and added Dre'lyn Washington, a senior running back from Louisiana University, where he spent three years with the Ragin' Cajuns, rushing for 478 yards on 73 carries while averaging 6.5 yards per carry and scoring 5 touchdowns to end the 2024 season. Deboer praised the new addition to the runningback room, telling the media after Tuesday's spring practice that "I like his mindset; he just comes here ready to work," but Deboer did acknowledge that Washington still has a lot to learn.

Last year, Milroe and Haynes combined for 247 total carries. This is a big number of carries that I believe will be shared amongst Miller, Young, and Washington, with the returning leading rusher in a strong position to be the Tide's top back next year. Deboer was asked who would take up Milroe's carries, and he said, "To me, those runs go to the runningbacks, although there may be a few more pass attempts. Deboer went further: "The play action gets opened up with more handoffs to the tailback."

I wouldn't be surprised to see Miller eclipse 1,000 yards, especially since Ryan Grubb took over as the Crimson Tide's new offensive coordinator back in February. Grubb is an offensive mastermind. I wouldn't be surprised if Miller was heavily used in the run game. The last time Kalen Deboer and Grubb coached together was at Washington in 2023 when the Huskies fell short in the CFP Championship to Michigan. This same year, Grubb's offense saw three players reach 1,000 yards, two of whom were receivers and one of whom was Washington Huskies Senior runningback Dillion Johnson, who rushed for 1,195 yards on 233 rushes and scored 16 touchdowns.

With Alabama having such a talented wide receiver group featuring players like Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard returning, I believe this will draw significant attention to the passing game. This, in turn, could allow Grubb and DeBoer to utilize Miller more effectively and potentially increase his production. If Miller had an additional 73 carries this year—which he is likely to receive next year, assuming no injuries—he would have surpassed 1,000 rushing yards based on his yards-per-carry average.

My main concern is that Miller may fall into a slump as he did at the end of last season, where he averaged only 3.08 yards per carry over his last five games, totaling 218 rushing yards on 71 carries without scoring any touchdowns. Avoiding this type of performance is crucial for Miller to make a significant impact on the team and to become the first Alabama rusher since 2021 to exceed 1,000 rushing yards.

Underclassmen to Keep an eye on

Aklyn Dear- Quitman, Mississippi, freshmen running back from the 2024 class. Dear was listed as the No. 2 running back in the 2025 class after rushing for 2,016 yards and 27 touchdowns as a junior at Quitman. On3's scouting report compared Dear to New York Jets running back Breece Hall, writing, "Akylin Dear's body type, running style, physicality, and well-rounded game reminds us of Breece Hall."

Daniel Hill- The No. 4 prospect from Mississippi in the 2024 class according to On3, had limited playing time this season. The rising sophomore rushed for a total of 61 yards on 21 carries, scoring one touchdown. His lone touchdown came during Alabama's 63-0 win against Western Kentucky in the season opener, where he received most of his carries, totaling nine in that game. Head coach Deboer described Hill in his press conference following Alabama's spring practice as a "compact" running back. Standing at 6'0" and weighing 235 pounds, Hill is difficult to bring down.

Kevin Riley- Riley, a Tuscaloosa native and the third-ranked running back prospect in the 2024 class according to On3, saw few snaps, rushing for 30 yards on 10 carries. The majority of Riley's playing time came against Western Kentucky in Alabama's 63-0 season opener victory, where the Redshirt Freshman ran for 27 yards on 7 carries. In his press conference after Tuesday's spring practice, Deboer mentioned Riley, telling reporters, "Kevin is probably our shiftiest, kinda explosive guy on the roster."

Alabama's Runningback Room Projected Depth Chart

Starter: Jam Miller

Rotation: Richard Young, and Dre'lyn Washington

Depth: Daniel Hill, Kevin Riley, and Akyln Dear

We'll know more once we see what the Tide does at A-Day, which will be held on Saturday, April 12th at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama will answer more of our questions about who will come in and take over the role that Hayes played for the Tide next year, as well as whether the Tide will give Miller the carries that Milroe had this season or if they will substitute those carries with passes because their Wide Receiver room is so experienced and skilled.

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