Alabama fans have seen a lot of star running backs. But every once in a while, someone flashes across the recruiting radar and makes even the legends pause. The same has happened with a five-star running back commit in the 2026 class for the Crimson Tide – Ezavier Crowell, who has been making headlines even before he committed to Kalen DeBoer’s program.

And now, a former player has talked about this young prodigy. Alabama legend Kenneth Darby appeared in a July 5 episode of The Bama Standard Network, where he reacted to a tape of Crowell from high school. Before we talk about Darby’s reaction, here’s how host Justin Riley hyped him: “Man, this dude looks amazing. The second coming of both T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry.” Well, getting compared with former RBs like Yeldon and Henry is already an achievement, and that too when you haven’t played a game in college football yet. “Great field vision, has amazing top-end speed. When he’s running the ball, it’s like he’s gliding, finding his spots, being very strategic about where he’s going to go. And when he gets going, you can’t stop him.”

Darby agreed with Riley, saying, “Pretty much everything you just spoke of, I kind of gathered that as well.” Darby said. “He has great vision. Definitely have the speed and the patience as well. He just looks unstoppable on the field playing against those kids on that level.” Darby said this after watching that clip and it was quite visible that he has the potential to become the next young RB prospect for the Bama.

Getting these compliments from someone like Kenneth Darby is a thing of pride. He isn’t just another five-star commit, he’s the crown jewel of Alabama’s 2026 recruiting class as of now. The star rusher picked DeBoer’s program over powerhouses like Georgia, Texas, and FSU, even after taking official visits to each of these programs.

According to On3, the 5 feet 11 inch, 210lb RB is ranked as the No. 2 player at his position in the country and No. 3 in the state. DeBoer was definitely looking for someone who is a blend of speed and power and he must’ve found that in Crowell. But Darby pointed out an important thing while praising him and that could be a concern not just for Alabama but for Crowell as well.

Is Ezavier Crowell ready for the college football stage? Darby has an answer

Ezavier Crowell rushed for 1,737 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2023 as a freshman. But his performance jumped to 1,964 yards and 31 touchdowns during his sophomore year in 2024, leading Jackson High School to a 14-1 finish. However, the question is, can he replicate this dominance in college football as well, or not?

Darby mentioned the alarming concern that would be the thing to watch out for him.“I would like to see all that translate over into the college field because it’s gonna be totally different playing against high school players when you get to that next level. A lot of things that come easily in high school are not going to come as easily when he gets to college.” Darby has a point here because we’ve witnessed a lot of young players who did well in their high schools but couldn’t handle the pressure of playing in front of a massive crowd of CFB.

“So, I would still like to see him have that patience like he has now. The vision is not gonna go anywhere. That’s just God-given right there. And the speed, of course, I know he’s gonna get a lot stronger and a lot faster. So, I’m just kind of anxious to see how he going to do on the next level.” Crowell can take note of this and just try to keep things the same in the future as well. He already has a great vision and speed, the only way to become superior is to work on his weaknesses.

Crowell is Alabama’s 12th commit in the 2026 class and as of now, there are 17 commits in total, and the class looks already loaded now. But, as we said, he is the most talked-about recruit in the 2026 class, and he must live up to his hype in the future.