Alabama's first scrimmage of fall camp extracted a heavy toll with an injury to sophomore RB AK Dear. On Friday, it was reported that Dear would miss an extended amount of time, with On3's Pete Nakos reporting that it is expected to be roughly six weeks:
The current timetable is roughly six weeks, sources tell @On3. https://t.co/l2Wc12D84A https://t.co/D5JKCIMH2d
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) August 14, 2026
Dear's injury comes at an unfortunate time for both him and Alabama. The sophomore had been having a tremendous fall camp and was positioning himself for a significant role in the Crimson Tide's offense in year two. While junior Daniel Hill remains the presumed starter at RB, Dear was nipping at his heels and was considered the most impressive Alabama RB during the scrimmage before he got hurt.
If Dear is out for exactly six weeks, he'd be back in time for the South Carolina game on September 26th. At this point, it's probably best to assume he'll be out for the first month of the season. It could be worse, but it's still a difficult blow for Kalen DeBoer and his team, with the running game being such a focal point this offseason.
AK Dear to miss the first few games of the season for Alabama with ankle injury
When you look at Alabama's schedule, it's imperative that the Crimson Tide gets off to a good start this year. The four-game stretch in the middle of the schedule that features Georgia, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and LSU will be treacherous, and Alabama will need as much margin for error as it can get heading into it.
If Dear is out for six weeks, he'll for sure miss the first three games of the season against East Carolina, Kentucky, and Florida State. He could return for Week 4 at home against South Carolina, or perhaps sit until the first week of October when Alabama travels to Mississippi State, depending on how quickly he can get back into game shape.
Alabama needs to start 5-0 to avoid entering that brutal four-game stretch with little to no margin for error. They'll now have to do at least part of it without one of their most talented running backs.
Along with Dear, freshman EJ Crowell has an undisclosed issue that held him out of the scrimmage and is expected to cost him a little bit of practice time. Crowell's talent makes him an anomaly, but with as much time as he's missed in the spring and now in fall camp, it may not be realistic to expect him to have a major role early in the season.
Alabama may have to rely on veterans like Hill and Kevin Riley, with freshman Trae'shawn Brown, who has had an eye-opening offseason, potentially carving out a legitimate role as well.
Fixing the run game was priority No. 1 for DeBoer and Ryan Grubb this offseason. Dear was going to be a big part of those plans. He still will be when he returns, but Alabama will have to survive the first few weeks without him now.
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