Alabama football gets positive injury update on RB Jam Miller

The biggest storyline coming out of last Saturday's second and final scrimmage of fall camp was the unfortunate injury suffered by Alabama RB Jam Miller. The Crimson Tide's starting RB suffered a dislocated collarbone that will keep him out for a few weeks, costing him at least the season opener against Florida State next week, and likely more.

There's been speculation on a timetable for the senior's return, with most believing the most likely game being the road trip to Georgia at the end of September. That would be exactly six weeks from the state of the injury.

If he's going to miss the Florida State game already, it makes sense to hold him out for the two home games prior to the trip to Athens. Alabama should be able to navigate Louisiana Monroe and Wisconsin at Bryant-Denny without Miller.

WVUA's Alex Boothe caught up with Miller on Tuesday, and the senior RB provided a pretty optimistic outlook on his recovery time:

Jam Miller is optimistic that his recovery will be quick

All reports out of Tuscaloosa are that Miller has had a fantastic fall camp. Both Kalen DeBoer and OC Ryan Grubb have raved about him, and mentioned a clear separation on the depth chart between Miller as RB1 and the trio of backs competing for carries behind him. The quicker he can get back, the better for Alabama. He brings a lot to the Tide's offense, a fact that Grubb spoke about on Tuesday:

“He’s such a stud," Grubb said. "He’ll be a value to our team no matter what right now just because of his demeanor and leadership. So I think that’s one of the things you miss on the field right away is just him being out there. There’s a presence to him when he’s on the field, so we’ll certainly miss that. His explosiveness, his running style, all those things will be missed."

One interesting note from what Miller said above disputes what DeBoer said on Sunday. Miller states that he did not have surgery, though DeBoer previously said he had a procedure. The procedure was likely putting his collarbone back in place. His not having to go under the knife is pretty substantial news for his ability to get back on the field.

With Miller out, there's a big opportunity for Richard Young, Daniel Hill, and Louisiana transfer Dre Washington. All three will see opportunities in the game, and while Miller will return to his RB1 duties as soon as he is healthy, whichever of the three shines the brightest in his absence will likely surge ahead for his top backup and the second-most carries.