Health issues keeping young Alabama running backs off the field

AK Dear and EJ Crowell continue to be limited for Alabama football late in the season.

Crowell is a freshman running back for the Tide, and Dear is a sophomore. Both continue to deal with health issues, according to Alabama’s offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.

“They gotta get healthy,” Grubb said. “They gotta get healthy. I mean, it sucks. I mean, I’d love to give EJ the ball 32 times a game, but we just gotta get him healthy, man. My heart breaks for both those kids because they’re tough as nails and they just, they’ve been going through it, you know, and they work their asses off every week to get back on the field. We hope every week, and I know those guys, they are working so hard to get back out there. They’ve done a good job to stay in the preparation and do their homework and do the walkthroughs and do everything they’re supposed to do. And EJ tried to give it a go before the game and just had the brace on and just really wasn’t capable of doing that. So we’re hopeful, obviously, we’re lucky that they’re not season-ending injuries or anything like that, and they’re just still working to get healthy.”

The pair did not receive a carry against LSU.

Crowell has been missing in action over the last several weeks after being a key member of the Tide’s backfield earlier this season. Dear missed several games earlier in the season after going down with an injury in fall camp and has not been able to establish a role.