Alabama football is expected to feature freshman running back, Jase McClellan as its third running back option for the remainder of the season and there is plenty of reason to believe the Texas native is ready to take advantage of this opportunity.
McClellan has participated in all six of Alabama’s game this season on special teams and has taken some snaps lined up at running back. The Crimson Tide coaching staff named McClellan special teams player of the week for his special-teams performance in their win over Mississippi State.
With Trey Sanders out indefinitely, McClellan looks to have moved up the depth chart and could be set to see more action for the Tide.
DJ Dale, Alabama’s starting defensive tackle, said McClellan plays like an experienced back during an interview with reporters Monday.
“He has looked good since day one,” Dale said. “He looks like he has been here for awhile. He looks like the old guys and they have done a good job at coaching him up.”
Despite not having much experience as a college running back, McClellan is an experienced ball carrier. At Aledo High School, he had 824 career carries en route to picking up more than 6,000 rushing yards and 122 touchdowns. This experienced has allowed McClellan to mature into a smooth runner.
Coming out of high school, McClellan was a highly-touted running back prospect because of his patient running style and ability to explode into the open field. There was also a gritty aspect to McClellan’s running style as he constantly fought for some tough yards to finish runs. This combined with his above average speed gives McClellan the tools to be a future star in the SEC.
Alabama’s starting quarterback Mac Jones has referred to McClellan and his freshman counterpart, Roydell Williams as hard workers.
“Those guys have come in and worked really hard,” Jones said. “They are both workhorse-type guys. They have gotten a good amount of reps throughout the year in practice. Practice is pretty much like the game, so you just have to make sure that they know do not over-complicate things.”
Nick Saban has had some good things to say about both backs as well.
“We have been encouraged by both of those guys,” Saban said. :They have not got a lot of opportunity, you know so far but we certainly feel like they can contribute and they are very capable and now they are going to get a little more opportunity as running backs and in some situations on special teams.”
WATCH JASE MCCLELLAN VIDEO BREAKDOWN:
Najee Harris and Brian Robinson will continue to get the bulk of Alabama’s carries moving forward, but McClellan will be on their heels, itching to get on the field.
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Justin Smith is a Scouting/Recruiting analyst for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via @Jdsmith31Smith
