The Alabama Crimson Tide football team completed its second scrimmage of the spring on Friday as Kalen DeBoer looks to steer the Alabama program in the right direction in year three.
One specific area that DeBoer and Alabama have focused on most this offseason is the running game, which finished near the bottom of the country in 2025.
On Friday, fans received some positive feedback on the Alabama running backs following the scrimmage.
Kevin Riley and Trae’Shawn Brown Turn Heads
While speaking to the media following Friday’s scrimmage, Coach DeBoer gave glowing remarks on two Alabama running backs, and it’s probably not who you might expect.
Redshirt sophomore Kevin Riley was the first name DeBoer mentioned when giving praise to the backs.
“I thought Kevin Riley, when he had seams to hit, he accelerated, showed some good burst. He’s got a good knack in between slithering through and finding those holes.”
Riley carved out a role in 2025 for the Tide before injuries started to pile up, finishing his redshirt freshman season with 224 rushing yards on 59 carries.
DeBoer also spoke highly of true freshman Trae’Shawn Brown.
“The guy that I thought had a nice week was Trae’shawn. Showed a little bit today in the scrimmage, but I thought throughout the week, there was a live session, short-yardage, goal line and things like that that he showed some pop, he showed some instinctiveness on how to get that first down when its 3rd and 2, 4th and 1, whatever it might be. It’s never pretty, it’s never perfect because there’s a lot of dudes up on the line of scrimmage. But I think overall, he’s had some good progress here this spring.”
Brown was a late addition to the 2026 recruiting class, ranking as a three-star prospect from Texas, proving that sometimes recruiting rankings don’t always tell the whole story.
EJ Crowell’s Injury Has Provided Opportunities
Make no mistake, the injury to five-star EJ Crowell has provided more opportunities for other players to step up.
Crowell arrived in Tuscaloosa as one of the most decorated running back prospects that Alabama has signed in a long time.
Crowell has been sidelined with a soft-tissue injury and remains week-to-week. The former Alabama Mr. Football rushed for over 2,600 yards and 35 touchdowns at Jackson High School, but his absence has created valuable reps for others.
Alabama Building Quality Depth at RB
With the emergence of Riley and Brown, Alabama is slowly building some quality depth at the running back position. Once Crowell is fully healthy, this could turn into a position of strength for Alabama in 2026.
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