Alabama Running Back Out for Significant Chunk of Regular Season

The Alabama Crimson Tide revealed on Friday that their running back, AK Dear, will be sidelined for a significant portion of the regular season due to a serious lower leg injury sustained during a scrimmage on Thursday. Junior Alex Scarborough and senior Brett Greenberg of Bama247 reported that the injury is not season-ending but will keep Dear out for approximately six weeks.

This would put Dear in line to return the day before Alabama's game against South Carolina on September 26 and likely return for the October 3 game against Mississippi State. Head coach Kalen DeBoer expressed disappointment as Dear had been performing well, scoring a touchdown before his injury. Freshman EJ Crowell is also injured but is expected to miss no game time.

With Dear out and Crowell sidelined, juniors Daniel Hill and Kevin Riley are the likely leaders in the running back room, accompanied by freshman Trae shawn Brown. Alabama had a challenging run game last season, making it crucial for the team to focus on resurrecting it this year. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb has emphasized this goal, but the current injuries undoubtedly hamper Alabama's prospects for a stronger offense.

If both Crowell and Dear recover in time, it could see Alabama return to its ground game dominance as they head into the season's critical games.