With just six days until the No. 9 Crimson Tide and the No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners kicked off in the first round of the College Football Playoff, Alabama received promising news about a star player who suffered an injury just a few weeks earlier.
Jam Miller, who went down in the Tide's win over the Auburn Tigers, is the Tide's leading rusher, with 493 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
When he was hurt against the Tigers, fans feared the worst: that Miller would be missing from action in the postseason. On Saturday, Dec. 13, fans learned that Miller had participated in practice, giving everyone hope that he would be available for the game against Oklahoma.
Jam Miller trending in right direction ahead of CFP
The loss of Miller would have been a tremendous hit for the Alabama offense, especially as quarterback Ty Simpson continues to try to re-find his footing in the backfield.
In fact, fans saw the effect of Miller missing from the lineup when the Tide was clobbered by the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship, losing 28-7 and losing three yards on the ground. That kind of performance simply couldn't happen in the playoffs.
Behind Miller on the stat sheet are Daniel Hill, who has just 228 rushing yards, and Kevin Riley, who has just 222 yards on the ground. Simply put, Miller is a necessary piece of the Crimson Tide's game plan, and the fact that he practiced with nearly a week until kickoff
Jam Miller participated in today's College Football Playoff practice.
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) December 12, 2025
(📷 via Alabama Athletics) pic.twitter.com/8MQOqU3Xr8
Alabama's offense struggled over the last few weeks of the regular season and is searching for an answer to its lackluster in-game performances.
However, the defense has repeatedly shown up when the team needed it most. In the regular-season loss to Oklahoma, which the Tide is seeking revenge for in the playoffs, Alabama held the Sooners to just 23 points, and it was the offense that failed to answer.
So, with Miller likely active against OU on Friday, the Crimson Tide truly has no excuse to fall to the same team for a second time in just one year.