Kalen DeBoer reveals spring injury to top Alabama freshman

[ASFN Admin]

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer has revealed that freshman running back EJ Crowell is dealing with an injury, doing so following the Crimson Tide's first spring scrimmage Friday afternoon.

Crowell is one of the more highly-touted recruits from the Tide's 2026 class, as the talented running back is expected to make an impact in the Tide’s backfield this upcoming season as a true freshman. Crowell originally reclassified from the 2027 to 2026 class prior to his Alabama commitment, as the rising star was targeted by various programs around the country during his recruitment process.

The former five-star recruit is now however dealing with an injury, which DeBoer revealed Friday when talking about the Tide's running backs at his press conference following practice. DeBoer also updated a potential timeline for the freshman to return, saying:

“EJ’s really not taken a lot of reps, if any at all.” DeBoer stated. “So that’s unfortunate, but we’ll keep working."

"I’d say it’s week-to-week," DeBoer added. "Probably not day-to-day, but it’s week-to-week, unfortunately.”

Crowell is expected to make an impact for an Alabama backfield that struggled immensely in 2025. The talented freshman could still be fully healthy by Week 1 in September, but Crowell’s injury means that it is an unknown how much action the running back could see moving forward this spring.

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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer updates EJ Crowell injury status

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