Ezavier Crowell wanted to get his mom something nice for Valentine's Day, and I'd say the five-star running back delivered.
Crowell, one of the gems of Alabama's 2026 recruiting class, got his mother, Traketa Roberts, a brand-new whip to ride from Jackson, Alabama to Tuscaloosa to watch her son show out for the Crimson Tide this fall. It's not completely clear what Crowell got his mother, but my aging eyes suggest it's a GMC Yukon SUV, it was probably fully loaded too.
SPECIAL MOMENT: Alabama Freshman RB Ezavier Crowell purchased his mother, Traketa Roberts, a very special Valentine’s Day present. @EzavierCrowell 🫶🏾 🐘 pic.twitter.com/rZqZ70ooay
— Larry Rudolph (@ScoutFball) February 14, 2026
Ezavier Crowell surprises Mom with a new ride Valentine's Day
I get why some college football fans are a little frustrated with the state of the sport these days. The NIL, the money, the transfer portal...it's a lot of change happening at one time for a group of fans that have had things the same ways for decades. But I'm sure the feeling Crowell had when he presented his mom with a new car is something you can't put a price on. He wouldn't have been able to do that without the opportunities that NIL has presented.
And Crowell didn't get to this point of being a highly-touted college football prospect alone. Someone had to get him to those youth football practices and games when he was a youing boy and someone had to keep him on the straight and narrow as he was going through school. The someone was probab;y Roberts (and likely other influential adults along the way), so Crowell being able to use some of his funds to show her how much she's appreciated is something we should all be able to get behind.
Now to the business of football, Crowell can see a lot more funds where those came from f he can be the running back that Alabama needs to get back to the top of the college football world. The Crimson Tide were bad at running the football in 2025. According to TeamRankings.com they averaged 92.6 rushing yards per game, which was 129th in the country and 80 yards off their average in 2024!
Everything about Alabama's run execution has to be better in 2026. The play calling, the blocking, the running and the ability to be a productive running team in the second half of games. Crowell is going to b a big piece to that puzzle. And Mom will be riding in style to see it.