Matchup with Georgia a legacy game for Alabama Football's Justice Haynes

Through three games in the 2024 season, the running game has been an overwhelming strength for Alabama Football. The Crimson Tide has one of the most potent rushing attacks in the Power Four, averaging 238 yards per game on 5.8 yards per carry. 

Junior running back Jam Miller (team-high 265 yards on 9.1 YPC) and redshirt junior quarterback Jalen Milroe (156 yards and a team-high six rushing touchdowns) spearhead the attack, but even beyond them the Tide ground game has a lot to offer.

Sophomore running back Justice Haynes may be the X-factor in this weekend’s game against Georgia. Though Miller and Haynes have been marketed as a duo, Haynes has been under-utilized to a degree and has just 19 carries on the season. He has made the most of those opportunities with 165 yards and two touchdowns, but Justice Haynes is coming off a quiet outing that saw him tote the rock just twice for 17 yards. 

Jam Miller has carried a heavier load, with more rushing attempts than Haynes in every game so far. Additionally, quarterback Jalen Milroe actually has more carries than both backs and leads the team with 36 rushing attempts when sacks and scrambles are accounted for. 

Though Justice Haynes is one of the most talented players on this Alabama offense, the Tide's abundance of weapons means that Georgia has to pick its poison. Since Haynes has flown under the radar with a lower usage rate thus far, perhaps he will not be as big a part of Georgia’s defensive gameplan. 

Haynes should be very fresh heading into this game, and I expect Alabama to use him. While he always has value as a ball-carrier, Haynes is an equally dangerous weapon as a receiver out of the backfield. Alabama can deploy his unique skill set in a multitude of ways, keeping the Georgia defense off-balance and creating mismatches in the open field. 

Justice Haynes’ connections to the University of Georgia have been well-documented. His father Verron was a standout for the Bulldogs in the early 2000s and a long-time NFL running back. Justice himself is a Georgia native out of Buford High School, and chose Alabama over Georgia as one of the top running backs in the class of 2023.

These factors could serve as extra motivation for Justice Haynes as Alabama hosts Georgia this weekend in the most highly-anticipated game of the regular season. Look for Haynes to enjoy a breakout game against his home state school and lead the Tide to victory.