Alabama football will be without one of its promising young running backs for an extended period of time.
Sophomore running back AK Dear suffered a lower-leg injury during Thursday’s scrimmage and is expected to miss an extended period of time, according to Bama247’s Alex Scarborough and Brett Greenberg, who were the first to report the news.
The good news for Alabama is that the injury is not expected to be season-ending.
Head coach Kalen DeBoer confirmed that Dear was having a strong scrimmage before the injury occurred, making the timing particularly unfortunate for the young running back.
“That was unfortunate because he was having a real nice scrimmage there with the touches he got,” DeBoer said.
DeBoer also revealed that Dear had scored a touchdown before suffering the injury.
The sophomore had been pushing for a larger role in Alabama’s running back rotation during fall camp, making his absence another challenge for a position group that has already dealt with some uncertainty.
Alabama’s Running Back Room Takes Another Hit
Alabama entered fall camp with junior running backs Daniel Hill and Kevin Riley appearing to lead the competition for carries, but Dear had been making progress and pushing for an expanded role.
Now, the Crimson Tide could have to rely more heavily on its two freshmen backs, five-star EJ Crowell and three-star Trae’shawn Brown.
Crowell’s availability is worth monitoring, however, as he has missed practice time recently with an undisclosed injury after also being sidelined for much of the spring.
That could put even more pressure on Hill and Riley to handle the bulk of Alabama’s workload if Dear remains out for a significant portion of the season’s preparation.
Dear Was Making Progress
Dear arrived at Alabama as a four-star recruit in the 2025 recruiting class out of Mississippi and saw limited action as a freshman.
He played 38 offensive snaps and finished the season with 19 carries for 140 yards. Much of that production came late in games against Louisiana-Monroe, Wisconsin, and Eastern Illinois.
However, Dear also received an opportunity on a bigger stage during the SEC Championship Game against Georgia, carrying the ball three times for 10 yards.
Earlier this month, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb praised the progress Dear had made, particularly when it came to understanding his responsibilities in pass protection.
“Understanding protections was one of the issues of getting on the field, and he’s come a long way,” Grubb said, pointing to Dear’s “maturity” and personal growth since the spring.
That development appeared to be translating into more opportunities during fall camp.
Now, Dear will have to focus on his recovery.
While the injury is certainly a setback for both Dear and Alabama, the fact that it is not expected to be season-ending provides the Crimson Tide with some optimism moving forward.
For now, Alabama will have to find a way to navigate the running back position without one of its emerging young contributors.
Alabama Football Gets Tough Injury Update on Rising Running Back AK Dear