There isn't a freshman debut more anticipated by Alabama fans than 5-star RB EJ Crowell, who arrived in Tuscaloosa as the expected savior of a dormant running game. Coming off one of the worst rushing seasons in school history, Crowell is one of the main reasons for optimism that things will improve in 2026.
Unfortunately, he's been banged up for a large portion of both spring practice and fall camp, which has cost him valuable reps leading into his freshman season. What Kalen DeBoer and the rest of the coaching staff have seen of Crowell so far in practices leads them to believe they have a special player on their hands.
And they aren't going to rush him back and risk his injury lingering throughout the season. It's a long year, and Alabama has a nine-game SEC schedule ahead of it. They're going to need a healthy Crowell to improve the ground game and get back to the College Football Playoff.
So his debut for Alabama might ultimately be delayed. Per On3's Chris Low, who had a conversation with DeBoer about Crowell and other injured Crimson Tide players, the 5-star freshman is "iffy" for the season opener against East Carolina in 10 days:
AK Dear and Noah Rogers both have a chance to be back by end of September. EJ Crowell could be iffy for season opener vs. East Carolina, but expected back by SEC opener vs. Kentucky. https://t.co/i3QN9rLbYp
— Chris Low (@Clowfb) August 26, 2026
EJ Crowell may miss Alabama's season opener against East Carolina
Per Low, Alabama expects Crowell to be good to go in Week 2 at Kentucky, meaning his first game action for the Crimson Tide could come in a road SEC game. No pressure, kid.
Astute Alabama fans may note that this is a change from what has been said in recent weeks about Crowell's status. After the first scrimmage, DeBoer noted that his freshman star was held out of the scrimmage and was dealing with a minor injury, but it wasn't expected to cost him any game time. Now, it sounds like Crowell is more than likely going to miss the season opener.
That's a bit worrisome and leads one to question whether the injury is going to continue to linger and cost the 5-star RB additional time.
If Crowell is indeed out against East Carolina, that would put Alabama down two running backs for the opener, with AK Dear recovering from an ankle injury he suffered in the first scrimmage. That injury is expected to cause him to miss at least the first three weeks of the regular season.
That would leave Alabama with four healthy scholarship running backs: Daniel Hill, Kevin Riley, Trae'shawn Brown, and Khalifa Keith.
Hill and Riley are returning contributors from last season, while Brown has been the talk of fall camp. A freshman like Crowell, Brown has outperformed his 3-star recruiting ranking and appears set for a significant role from the outset of the season.
Brown has received praise from both DeBoer and OC Ryan Grubb in fall camp. Even without the injuries, he would be positioning himself for a big-time role. With Dear and Crowell on the mend, he's got an even bigger opportunity in front of him and should be in line for a featured role in the offense in Week 1.
Playing it cautious with Crowell makes sense. He's got the potential to be a game-changer for the Crimson Tide, even as a true freshman. The talent is real. Alabama knows it. They also know they're going to need him when the more challenging part of the schedule shows up in a few weeks.
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