Preseason camp in Tuscaloosa was supposed to settle position battles, but head coach Kalen DeBoer is already facing an unexpected test of depth. After EJ Crowell went down with an injury, another one of Bama’s RBs met the same fate after making a big impression in yesterday’s scrimmage.

On August 14th, Alabama insider Brett Greenberg hopped onto his X handle and shared some devastating news about sophomore running back AK Dear. “BREAKING: Alabama sophomore running back AK Dear will miss extended time with a lower leg injury,” he tweeted.

The Quitman native went down with a lower leg and ankle injury during the team’s first big scrimmage at Bryant-Denny Stadium, and he is expected to miss around six weeks. It is a huge bummer because Dear was reportedly having an absolute field day at camp, having already scored a touchdown before succumbing to the injury.

DeBoer noted after practice that Dear had already found the end zone earlier in the session before the training staff had to step in.

Losing Dear for the front half of the schedule strips away one of Alabama’s most explosive young playmakers. As a true freshman in 2025, he maximized limited reps, averaging 7.4 yards per carry and scoring three touchdowns across five appearances, highlighted by a 56-yard touchdown sprint against Louisiana-Monroe.

He was widely expected to step into a heavy rotational workload alongside starter Daniel Hill, but now the Tide will have to navigate their early non-conference slate without him. Instead, Dear will be watching from the sidelines, mostly missing all of Alabama’s early non-conference games and even the start of their tough SEC schedule.

The timing couldn’t be tougher for offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. Five-star freshman EJ Crowell, Alabama’s “Mr. Football” award winner, missed the scrimmage with a minor injury. While DeBoer reassured reporters that Crowell should return to practice shortly and be ready for the season opener, having both young backs sidelined at once leaves Alabama with just four fully healthy scholarship running backs for the remainder of the fall camp.

With Dear on the shelf and Crowell easing back in, Alabama is down to just a handful of healthy scholarship running backs (3) for the rest of fall camp. The burden now falls onto the shoulders of Daniel Hill, who established himself as Alabama’s primary goal-line option last fall with a team-leading six rushing touchdowns.

Junior Kevin Riley, who had 59 carries for 224 yards and two scores last season, will also see a lot more action. The whole situation forces Coach DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb to quickly shift their game plans before the season opener. DeBoer loves a balanced offense that uses a powerful run game to set up big, explosive passing plays downfield. Since Hill is more of a bruising runner and Riley is a fast change-of-pace back, the coaches will have to get creative with how they rotate them.

Perhaps they would use both backs on the field at the same time or even rely on Keelon Russell’s legs to make certain plays. True freshman running back Trae’shawn Brown is also likely to be pushed into the spotlight much faster than expected to fill the gaps, though he has already been a pleasant surprise to coaches during camp.

All eyes are now on how the rest of the roster responds to these early challenges. Not going to lie, losing a player like AK Dear is a tough pill to swallow. But at the same time, it should give these younger guys a big opportunity to prove themselves and make the best out of this tribulation.

Alabama still has plenty of talent to make a deep run, but their depth is definitely getting tested before the real games even begin.

Other questionable injuries!

The injury bug didn’t just stop at the running backs either, as a couple of other key players are banged up too.

On offense, sophomore wide receiver Lotzeir Brooks missed a couple of practices and the big scrimmage with an injury. Brooks was a big part of the passing game last year. He played all 14 games as WR2 and racked up 32 catches for 441 yards and two touchdowns, alongside 283 kick return yards. The majority of analysts had him taking over the mantle of WR1 somewhere in the first half because of Ryan Williams’ poor consistency.

Over on the defensive side, former five-star recruit and freshman defensive back Jorden Edmonds got hurt earlier in the week during practice and is expected to miss at least a few weeks.

It seems like the training room at Tuscaloosa is getting way busier than anyone wanted it to be this early in the year. How DeBoer handles these early August setbacks will set the tone for Alabama’s campaign. The Crimson Tide still possesses plenty of top-tier talent, but their offensive depth is getting an unexpected trial by fire long before kickoff day.