Alabama’s Running Back Room Loaded With Talent and Depth as Fierce Competition Emerges Ahead of the 2025 College Football Season
Alabama has never lacked for running back talent, and that tradition continues into the 2025 season. The Crimson Tide enter fall camp with one of the deepest and most competitive running back rooms in the country. With proven veterans, promising underclassmen, and a dynamic freshman already making waves, Alabama’s backfield is primed to play a central role in the offense under new head coach Kalen DeBoer.
The group is led by two returners who saw significant action last season: Justice Haynes and Jam Miller. Haynes, the former five-star recruit from Georgia, showed flashes of brilliance as a true freshman in 2024, finishing the year with over 600 yards rushing and five touchdowns despite limited carries. His mix of balance, burst, and vision makes him one of the most complete backs on the roster, and his offseason work has only elevated expectations. During the summer, Haynes reportedly added five pounds of muscle while maintaining his top-end speed, and he arrived at fall camp in peak condition.
Miller, entering his fourth year in the program, brings toughness, straight-line speed, and special teams value. Though he’s battled inconsistency at times, his experience and explosiveness make him a reliable option, especially in short-yardage and goal-line situations. Coaches have praised his leadership this offseason, particularly as the team transitions under a new staff. With a clearer offensive identity and more creative formations under DeBoer and offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan, Miller may finally see the kind of defined role that helps him flourish.
Both Haynes and Miller are in line to receive significant snaps, but they aren’t the only names in contention. Redshirt freshman Richard Young has taken major strides since arriving as a highly touted recruit. After spending much of 2024 buried on the depth chart, Young used the spring to showcase his development. He’s always been physically imposing, but now he’s running with more patience and vision, two traits that often take time for young backs to master. Coaches were impressed with his performance in Alabama’s A-Day game, where he led all backs in rushing and looked noticeably more confident in pass protection—a key area for earning playing time in DeBoer’s offense.
Then there’s true freshman Kevin Riley, one of the most buzzed-about newcomers in fall camp. The former top-100 prospect out of Tuscaloosa’s own Hillcrest High School has hit the ground running, literally and figuratively. Though still learning the complexities of the college game, Riley’s quickness, lateral agility, and soft hands have made an early impression. It’s rare for a freshman to leapfrog veterans on Alabama’s depth chart, but Riley has earned second-team reps in several drills and is being fast-tracked in third-down packages. While it’s unlikely he opens the year as RB1, don’t be surprised if Riley has a role from day one—particularly in spread sets or tempo situations.
The talent doesn’t end there. Alabama also returns Emmanuel Henderson Jr., the versatile athlete who has spent time at both running back and wide receiver. Henderson’s speed and open-field ability have always been his strengths, but durability and positional clarity have held him back from carving out a consistent role. Under DeBoer’s system, which values misdirection and pre-snap motion, Henderson could be used as a gadget player—someone who lines up in the slot or even in the backfield to create mismatches. Whether he can stay healthy enough to take advantage remains to be seen, but his versatility gives Alabama another dimension.
What makes this running back competition particularly intriguing is the offensive shift under DeBoer. At Washington, DeBoer’s offenses were known for efficiency, balance, and adaptability. While his system is pass-friendly, he has always relied on a strong running game to keep defenses honest and to build play-action threats. That philosophy is already showing itself in Alabama’s camp. The backs are being asked to do more than just run between the tackles. They’re running routes from wide alignments, picking up complex blitz packages, and rotating in fast-paced, no-huddle sequences. The days of a single workhorse back dominating 20+ carries a game may be gone. In its place, Alabama is embracing a by-committee approach that emphasizes versatility and matchup advantages.
From a competition standpoint, this creates more opportunities—but also more pressure. Every back must be well-rounded. Coaches have been clear: if a player can’t pass block, he won’t see third down. If he can’t catch out of the backfield, he won’t be featured in tempo packages. That reality has forced even the most talented backs to elevate their all-around game. Haynes has emerged as the most complete option thus far, capable of running inside and out, catching passes, and delivering solid protection. Miller remains the most experienced, and Riley may offer the most natural quickness and shiftiness. That leaves Young and Henderson fighting to carve out niche roles that allow them to showcase what they do best.
DeBoer has also emphasized ball security throughout camp, often ending drills with high-pressure fumble prevention sequences. That’s a direct response to some of the inconsistencies Alabama experienced last year, when fumbles at key moments cost them momentum in multiple games. Haynes, despite his overall production, had two fumbles in the red zone during the second half of the season. Those details are now being drilled into every back, as the coaching staff knows that turnovers can erase even the most productive runs.
In addition to the on-field performance, the competition is being shaped by leadership and attitude. DeBoer has brought a fresh tone to Alabama’s locker room, and the running backs room has become a microcosm of that energy. Older players like Miller and Haynes are leading by example, helping younger teammates with film study and technique. Riley has been praised for his humility and work ethic, while Young’s maturity has grown in visible ways since last year. The position coach, Robert Gillespie, remains a steady hand through the transition, helping to guide each player’s development while fostering a strong, competitive atmosphere.
As Alabama progresses through fall camp, the running back rotation remains fluid. No starter has been named, and according to DeBoer, that’s intentional. “We want guys to earn it every day,” he said in his most recent media availability. “We’re looking at who performs in full pads, in live situations, and who does the little things right—on and off the field. That’s what separates good from great.”
The scrimmages scheduled over the next two weeks will offer the clearest picture yet of how the rotation is shaping up. Coaches will be watching not just who breaks off long runs, but who picks up blitzes, catches checkdowns, and maintains ball security in contact drills. Those elements will ultimately determine the pecking order heading into Week 1 against Georgia State—and beyond into the meat of SEC play.
There’s also a strategic component to how Alabama might deploy its backs during the season. With so much depth, it’s possible the Tide use different combinations based on opponent tendencies. Against bigger, slower defensive fronts, Young or Miller might get more work as downhill options. Against faster, more aggressive defenses, Haynes and Riley could be featured in zone runs and screen packages. This flexibility gives DeBoer and Sheridan a powerful toolbox from which to build weekly game plans.
What’s clear is that Alabama’s running back room isn’t just talented—it’s competitive, balanced, and filled with players hungry to prove themselves. In an era where transfers and opt-outs often disrupt continuity, Alabama has managed to retain nearly its entire backfield from a year ago while adding elite young talent. That continuity, paired with a new offensive vision, sets the stage for one of the most dynamic backfields in college football.
Alabama has long been known as Running Back U, a program that’s produced names like Derrick Henry, Najee Harris, Mark Ingram, and Josh Jacobs. If early camp returns are any indication, another wave of names is ready to make its mark. Whether it’s Haynes becoming the next great all-purpose threat, Miller delivering key power runs, Riley emerging as a breakout freshman, or Young providing key depth, Alabama has a wealth of riches at the position.
As the season approaches, all that remains is to see who takes hold of the opportunity—and who makes the most of it when the lights come on. The competition is real. The depth is elite. And the standard, as always in Tuscaloosa, remains championship level.
