Kalen DeBoer and Alabama football wanted to add veteran depth to the RB room after losing Justice Haynes to Michigan in the Transfer Portal. They were able to accomplish that by landing a commitment late Monday night from Louisiana RB Dre'lyn Washington.
The rising senior spent three seasons at Louisiana and ran for 1343 yards and 9 touchdowns on 5.9 yards per carry. He battled some injuries in 2024, but still managed 478 rushing yards on a career-high 6.5 yards per carry.
With Haynes departing in the portal, rising senior Jam Miller was the only experienced RB left on the Crimson Tide's roster. Richard Young will be entering his third year in the program, but only has 36 career carries with the majority of those coming in garbage time.
Alabama signed 4-stars Daniel Hill and Kevin Riley in the 2024 class, but neither has taken a meaningful snap yet. Alabama added 4-star AK Dear, the No. 2 RB in the country in 2025, but it remains to be seen how ready he will be for immediate playing time.
Washington isn't likely to push Miller for the starting job, but he will fight the others for carries in the backfield. He's a perfect depth piece as he's not someone who is going to scare the others away into the Transfer Portal, and he only has one final season of eligibility so the young backs should understand even if he's ahead of them on the depth chart, both him and Miller will exhaust their eligibility in 2025.
Washington's addition is Alabama's seventh commitment in the winter Transfer Portal cycle. The Crimson Tide has seen 23 players from its 2024 roster enter the portal this cycle.