Concerns have been voiced about depth along Alabama’s defensive line and having to replace seven defensive starters that were selected in the 2017 NFL Draft.
But the same can’t be said for the Crimson Tide’s running backs.
Three hundred and fifty six carries, 2,416 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns return for the 2017 season with Bo Scarbrough, Damien Harris and Josh Jacobs all back. Then the Tide Hale Hentges Jersey added two of the nation’s top seven tailbacks in its 2017 signing class in five star Najee Harris and local product Brian Robinson.
Even with B.J. Emmons’s departure, Alabama has five scholarship running backs on its current roster, including three players that were considered five star recruits out of high school.
That’s a lot of talented mouths to feed with only one football. But first year offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is happy to have the conundrum on his plate ahead of his debut season.
“Running back is a position that you can’t have too many of,” Daboll said Saturday in his only media obligation of the preseason and regular season. “You can find creative ways to try to use them, and everyone will have a role if they earn that role. So, there’s good players with all five of those guys, really. They’ve done a good job in the spring.
“... All of the guys are smart, they work really hard http://www.alabamafanszone.com/levi-wallace-jersey-c-53.html, are well coached, so we’ll find some roles that we can use them as we see fit.”
During Alabama’s open practice Saturday, Scarbrough and Harris split carries on the first team offense. That’s to be expected as both players are entering their third years in the program. And Jacobs was the team’s third leading rusher a season ago as true freshman , so he is likely to have a role in 2017.
But the younger Harris was one of the more impressive players during the Fan Day practice, especially when utilized in the passing game. The Antioch, Calif., native has stood out since enrolling early in January. Robinson is no slouch, either http://www.alabamafanszone.com/austin-johnson-jersey-c-52.html, as a freshman.
Now 100 percent healthy, he said, Scarbrough said there’s no ill will among the running backs if one of their teammates sees more reps or carries than others in a given practice.
“That’s just like seeing your brother graduate. When we see a brother graduate, you’re happy, right?” Scarbrough said. “So, when I see them do anything spectacular or anything good that helps the team, it makes me happy that they’re in the position that I’m playing.
“We’re all together. We’re team players … I know we are really good players and we come together to be one. If somebody goes down, we already have somebody back there.”
Last season the Tide offense returned to more of a balanced approach to its running game. Four players saw more than 85 carries, including dual threat quarterback Jalen Hurts, which is quite different than the Derrick Henry dominated offense from 2015.
But with arguably http://www.alabamafanszone.com/joshua-mcmillon-jersey-c-54.html the deepest stable of tailbacks at Alabama, possibly, ever, can the Crimson Tide offense thrive with more than one player receiving meaningful carries this fall?
“It really don’t matter,” Scarbrough said. “We try to help the team in any way we can, help each other, even if it’s getting each other water, wiping each other’s sweat off. It really doesn’t matter who’s in the game. As long we win the game and we did our job perfectly.”
But the same can’t be said for the Crimson Tide’s running backs.
Three hundred and fifty six carries, 2,416 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns return for the 2017 season with Bo Scarbrough, Damien Harris and Josh Jacobs all back. Then the Tide Hale Hentges Jersey added two of the nation’s top seven tailbacks in its 2017 signing class in five star Najee Harris and local product Brian Robinson.
Even with B.J. Emmons’s departure, Alabama has five scholarship running backs on its current roster, including three players that were considered five star recruits out of high school.
That’s a lot of talented mouths to feed with only one football. But first year offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is happy to have the conundrum on his plate ahead of his debut season.
“Running back is a position that you can’t have too many of,” Daboll said Saturday in his only media obligation of the preseason and regular season. “You can find creative ways to try to use them, and everyone will have a role if they earn that role. So, there’s good players with all five of those guys, really. They’ve done a good job in the spring.
“... All of the guys are smart, they work really hard http://www.alabamafanszone.com/levi-wallace-jersey-c-53.html, are well coached, so we’ll find some roles that we can use them as we see fit.”
During Alabama’s open practice Saturday, Scarbrough and Harris split carries on the first team offense. That’s to be expected as both players are entering their third years in the program. And Jacobs was the team’s third leading rusher a season ago as true freshman , so he is likely to have a role in 2017.
But the younger Harris was one of the more impressive players during the Fan Day practice, especially when utilized in the passing game. The Antioch, Calif., native has stood out since enrolling early in January. Robinson is no slouch, either http://www.alabamafanszone.com/austin-johnson-jersey-c-52.html, as a freshman.
Now 100 percent healthy, he said, Scarbrough said there’s no ill will among the running backs if one of their teammates sees more reps or carries than others in a given practice.
“That’s just like seeing your brother graduate. When we see a brother graduate, you’re happy, right?” Scarbrough said. “So, when I see them do anything spectacular or anything good that helps the team, it makes me happy that they’re in the position that I’m playing.
“We’re all together. We’re team players … I know we are really good players and we come together to be one. If somebody goes down, we already have somebody back there.”
Last season the Tide offense returned to more of a balanced approach to its running game. Four players saw more than 85 carries, including dual threat quarterback Jalen Hurts, which is quite different than the Derrick Henry dominated offense from 2015.
But with arguably http://www.alabamafanszone.com/joshua-mcmillon-jersey-c-54.html the deepest stable of tailbacks at Alabama, possibly, ever, can the Crimson Tide offense thrive with more than one player receiving meaningful carries this fall?
“It really don’t matter,” Scarbrough said. “We try to help the team in any way we can, help each other, even if it’s getting each other water, wiping each other’s sweat off. It really doesn’t matter who’s in the game. As long we win the game and we did our job perfectly.”