After finishing the 2025 season ranked 132nd of 136 teams in the country in rushing success rate, the objective was clear for Kalen DeBoer and general manager Courtney Morgan: upgrade the ground game.
DeBoer and Morgan have done an adequate, if unspectacular, job of it. Alabama has added six offensive linemen through the portal to–ideally–upgrade the group, but the program has yet to add a running back.
The Tide did have NC State transfer Hollywood Smothers committed to the program early in the portal window, but Texas swooped in with a higher bid to snatch him away. Now, the Tide have an unexpected opportunity to atone for that mistake as Miami running back Girard Pringle Jr. has entered the portal following the Hurricanes’ National Championship Game loss to Indiana on Monday.
Pringle was a four-star and a top 150-recruit in the country in the 2025 class coming out of Seffner, Florida. Alabama was in the mix during his recruitment and should take another crack at landing him this offseason.
BREAKING: Miami true freshman RB Girard Pringle Jr. is entering the @TransferPortal, his agent tells @On3
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 22, 2026
The 5’10 190 RB was ranked as the No. 5 RB in the 2025 Class (per On3 Industry)
He’s repped by @AiC_Athletes https://t.co/RlUbB6EMhS pic.twitter.com/1ivF7sSGB8
Miami RB and former Alabama recruiting target Girard Pringle Jr. enters the Transfer Portal
As it stands, incoming five-star freshman EJ Crowell will likely be leaned on to shoulder a significant load in the backfield for DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. Crowell is an enticing talent, but counting on a young player in the backfield when breaking in a first-time starting quarterback isn’t the most comforting proposition.
Pringle does not have a ton of on-field experience from his first season with the Canes, with just 62 carries for 375 yards and four touchdowns, but that would have made him the second-leading rusher on the Crimson Tide in 2025. He even earned a few carries in the College Football Playoff, turning his lone rush into one yard against Texas A&M and converting three carries into 12 yards against Ohio State.
Pringle is a proven contributor, and at Miami, he certainly would have been stuck behind Mark Fletcher Jr. as he heads into his senior year off a dominant CFP run and 1,000-yard season. At Alabama, he could have a shot to be RB1 and elevate a rushing attack that desperately needs a jolt.
Adding Pringle won’t ease all concerns about Alabama’s run game. Many of those stem from the offensive line, which will be almost a completely new group next season, and Grubb’s play-calling, which isn’t likely to change. But adding Pringle would be a step in the right direction for an offense that has to be more balanced in 2026.