Alabama running back feels freshman is putting himself in position to contribute in year one

Daniel Hill feels the Alabama Crimson Tide’s freshman running back and former five-star EJ Crowell is focusing on the right things during his early days in Tuscaloosa.

Crowell is a product of Jackson High School in Jackson, Alabama. Many expect him to be impactful in his first year in Tuscaloosa. He appears to be doing his part to live up to the high expectations many have for him, according to Alabama’s third-year running back, Daniel Hill.

“EJ’s a great kid,” Hill said. “He works hard. He’s always trying to find ways to get better. He’s constantly trying to meet, constantly trying to find ways to get better. As a young guy, that’s something that you really, you want to be like. You always want to find the little things to get better. I’m going to always do my best to help him, whatever he needs, just continue to help him get better.”

Kalen DeBoer shared Crowell was limited in spring practice after the Crimson Tide’s first spring scrimmage and said the freshman was week-to-week. Alabama’s offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb described Crowell’s injury as a soft-tissue one earlier this spring. Touchdown Alabama learned the ‘soft-tissue’ injury was impacting his calf.

As he looks to get healthy ahead of his first season with the Tide, Hill still feels the freshman can make an impact alongside him in the backfield in the fall.

“As long as he knows what he’s doing, as long as he’s doing the right things, knows what he’s doing, he can obviously make an impact for us,” Hill told reporters.

Alabama football’s running backs are tasked with delivering a more effective rushing attack in 2026 after a down year on the ground last season. Having Crowell as a dependable option out of the backfield will only improve the Tide’s chances of being effective while running the football in the fall.