Alabama held its first scrimmage of spring football on Thursday giving head coach Kalen DeBoer one of his first live looks at where his team stands eight practices in.
Several areas of the team impressed but one area DeBoer zeroed in on was the Crimson Tide’s running back room.
When discussing the room in his post-scrimmage media availability, DeBoer gave his breakdown of the skillsets displayed and how it appears to be a major strength for the Alabama offense.
“I think they all can do everything that we want,” DeBoer said. “They fit out offense very well because they can come out of the backfield and catch the ball. For these guys, there is a downhill physicality that I think they really have but they have the ability to also make the jumpcut, get to the outside, turn on the speed.
“In the backfield, come out and just find a way to get them touches and that’s what our offense really does is find ways to get the ball to its best players in space. The running back position, especially right now for us, is certainly a strength when it comes to the athleticism. There’s not a lot of different qualities. You can say one guy does this a little bit differently or better, but in the end, I feel like the offense can operate with all of them and you really don’t have to change what you’re doing based on who’s in the backfield.”
Despite losing leading rusher Jase McClellan (NFL) and Roydell Williams (Florida State) Alabama’s backfield remains stocked with talent.
Jam Miller and Justice Haynes headline the room as the two running backs with the most playing experience and who will be splitting carries this fall for the Crimson Tide offense. Miller carried the ball 41 times for 201 yards and one touchdown last season with Haynes receiving 25 carries for 168 yards and two touchdowns.
Both display similar styles of play on the field, but have flashed their elite traits in their limited snaps so far into their careers which DeBoper will hope to maximize this fall.
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