The waiting period is over for Alabama five-star true freshman running back EJ Crowell.
After an injury limited his participation in spring practices, Crowell finally got the training wheels off Wednesday and was a full participant as the Crimson Tide opened fall camp. And based on Kalen DeBoer's first evaluation, he looked every bit like the player Alabama thought it was getting when he reclassified from the 2027 to the 2026 class as the No. 1 running back in the nation.
Kalen DeBoer says Alabama 5-Star true freshman RB EJ Crowell is already looking as good as advertised early in fall camp
“He did some nice things. It’s good to see him out there flying around," DeBoer said. "A couple of times you see what you saw from his high school highlight film. Excited to see him."
That early endorsement carries plenty of weight considering what Crowell showed at Jackson High last fall, where he led the entire state of Alabama with over 2,094 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns. But the rushing ability that made the 5-foot-11, 225-pounder one of the nation's premier recruits may not be the only way he can impact the Crimson Tide offense.
DeBoer also continued his praise by teasing his belief that Crowell could become a legitimate weapon out of the backfield.
"We’re not in pads right now so a lot of that is yet to be seen. But just execution, he’s going to catch the ball real well," DeBoer said. "I think he’s got a good head on his shoulders from what we’ve seen so far. Being able to be consistent that way in learning the offense when he gets in there in the rotation with the running backs like he was today, he did his job.”
Granted, with Crowell only recording five receptions for 38 receiving yards across 14 games in 2025, if he can translate his physical running style to become a consistent threat in space, he could be a nightmare weapon behind an Alabama offensive line that is trending towards becoming a more athletic unit.
And of course, with this being exciting to think about as the Tide focus on rebirthing their run game this season, Crowell still has plenty to prove before he can be counted on as a weekly contributor. But with his physical tools already being impossible to ignore, it'll be interesting to see how much DeBoer and Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb can put on the true freshman's plate in year one.
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