The wait for Alabama football will soon be over as the Crimson Tide announced it will begin its fall camp on Aug. 6. The Tide will hold 23 practices as well as two closed scrimmages as it gears up for its season-opener against Miami on Sept. 4 inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The next month will be pivotal in determining how Alabama lines up this season. Before the Tide breaks for camp, BamaInsider will examine each position group by examining two key storylines. Today we continue the series with the running backs.
Will Alabama have a bell-cow back?
There isn’t an exact definition of what constitutes a bell-cow back. The term, derived from the lead cow in a herd, is commonly used to describe the primary ball carrier in an offense. However, the distinction is reserved exclusively for backs who receive a substantially high workload.
Alabama’s best example came in 2015 when Derrick Henry carried the ball 61.5 percent of the time during his Heisman Trophy-winning season. The Tide then went without a featured ball carrier the following three seasons as none of its backs received more than 26.3 percent of the workload.
Najee Harris assumed the bell-cow title the past two seasons, receiving 47.9 percent of the carries in 2019 before carrying the ball 52.6 percent of the time during his Doak Walker Award-winning season last year. Now that Harris has hurdled himself into the NFL, it will be interesting to see how Alabama goes about filling his void.
On top of losing Harris, the Tide also saw Keilan Robinson transfer to Texas and Kyle Edwards enter the transfer portal this offseason. Even without that trio, Alabama’s current unit features five former four- or five-star recruits. That amount of talent could dissuade the Tide from relying on a primary option out of the backfield.
If Alabama does elect to lean on a feature back this season the most likely option is Brian Robinson Jr., who returns for his fifth season with the program. The Tuscaloosa, Ala. native played second fiddle to Harris the past two years but received just 19 percent of the workload last season after taking 22 percent of the carries in 2019.
Robinson’s 274 career carries dwarf the combined 72 attempts from Alabama’s four other scholarship backs. Unless the veteran steps into Harris’ role, it’s likely the Tide will opt to use a committee of backs this season.
It’s worth noting that having a bell-cow back doesn’t always translate to more success. Alabama’s running backs averaged a combined 6.08 yards per carry from 2016-18 when the Tide didn’t have a featured back. That’s almost a yard more per attempt than the combined 5.14 yards per carry it averaged over 2015, 2019 and 2020 when Henry and Harris ran the show.
Who is the biggest breakout candidate?
If Alabama does elect to spread out its carries this season, it opens the door for a potential breakout season from one of its younger backs. Based on last year, the leading candidate to step into that role is Jase McClellan, who averaged a team-high 10.65 yards per attempt while rushing for 245 yards and two touchdowns. However, the sophomore isn’t the only promising option in the Tide’s backfield.
Fellow sophomore Roydell Williams capped off a solid spring by leading the first-team offense with 43 yards on 12 carries while also pulling in four receptions for 65 yards through the air during the A-Day game. According to sources close to the program, the Hueytown, Ala. native is a strong contender to compete with McClellan for the No. 2 role behind Robinson.
Another interesting option is Trey Sanders, who suffered season-ending injuries in each of his two years with the program. The former five-star recruit served as Alabama’s third back behind Harris and Robinson before suffering a significant hip injury during a car accident in early November. The week before the incident, Sanders recorded a career-high 80 yards on 12 carries against Mississippi State. While Sanders was limited this spring, he was able to participate in dry-land running as Nick Saban stated that he was “making really good progress” toward recovery. It’s unknown if the redshirt sophomore will be at 100 percent by the start of the season. Although, if he can return to full strength, he’s arguably Alabama’s most talented option at the position.
Speaking of five-star backs, Alabama brought in another one in Camar Wheaton, who is ranked as the No. 1 running back in this year’s class. While the freshman didn’t join the program until the summer, his breakaway speed could make him a big-play threat if he’s able to master the offense quickly.