Alabama’s most important incoming recruit just got a major boost with No. 1 ranking

After Alabama struck out in its attempt to add a proven running back in the Transfer Portal this offseason, five-star running back Ezavier Crowell instantly became the most important incoming recruit in the 2026 class. The latest recruiting updates made him the highest-ranked one, too. 

Crowell is already at Alabama as an early enrollee after reclassifying from the 2027 to the 2026 class. Yet, the dust has only just settled on the 2026 recruiting class, with many of the major recruiting services in the industry submitting their final rankings. And with those, Crowell finished as the No. 14 overall player in the country by composite rankings and the No. 1 running back, jumping Michigan’s Savion Hiter. 

Ezavier Crowell will make an immediate impact for Alabama

Now, in what was supposed to be his senior year of high school, the two-time state champion will likely serve as RB1 for the Crimson Tide. 

Even with Jam Miller exhausting his final season of eligibility and Richard Young transferring away, Alabama has a fairly crowded running back room. Daniel Hill is the top returning rusher, but even he went for just 284 yards on his 75 attempts. That’s not nearly enough production to cement his spot atop the depth chart. 

Kevin Riley showed flashes, too, last season, and AK Dear was a highly-touted recruit in the 2025 class, but none of the players in Alabama’s backfield last year looked special, and Crowell has the potential to be from Day 1. That potential alone should earn him a serious shot at the lion’s share of the carries in his true freshman season after the Tide running game finished the 2025 season 131st in rushing success rate. 

The issues in the run game weren’t simply caused by a lack of juice at the running back position. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb's lack of commitment to the ground game is a major component, as was the struggling offensive line. While Grubb will be back, almost none of the offensive line will be as DeBoer and general manager Courtney Morgan made a concerted effort to overhaul the unit in the Transfer Portal, especially with Kadyn Proctor leaving for the NFL. 

Alabama brought in six offensive linemen through the portal and just one running back, Khalifa Keith, a late addition who has just 129 rushing yards across three seasons between Tennessee and Appalachian State. NC State transfer Hollywood Smothers spurned the Tide for Texas after committing to Alabama early in the window. That leaves the door wide open for Crowell to start right away. 

While ultimately meaningless, Crowell’s ratings bump is further validation that the Tide have a potential superstar on campus, the type of running back Alabama hasn’t had since Jahmyr Gibbs, and the one the program has desperately needed.