- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,269,648
- Reaction score
- 59
Last season as Alabama football's run game struggled to find the footing that once won championships, its hope was about 2 1/2 hours south of Tuscaloosa.
Ezavier "EJ" Crowell is on campus for his freshman year now, bringing along a stacked resume highlighted by Gatorade Player of the Year honors and an AHSAA Class 4A state championship. With his third 300-plus yard game of the season, he led Jackson High to the title last December.
Crowell's rise was delayed by a soft-tissue injury in the spring following his early enrollment, but this is the same guy who wrote "Kill Everybody" on his eye black for his senior night − and juked three lines of defense for one of his four touchdowns in the 41-0 shutout.
Staying down isn't in Crowell's DNA. From what his new Crimson Tide teammates have seen, the No. 1 running back recruit in the nation is living up to his billing.
MORE FROM MEDIA DAY: Ryan Coleman-Williams, and the Alabama great who dropped some too | Goodbread
LOOKING BACK: Alabama has found its ‘kill everybody’ running back in 2026 5-star Ezavier Crowell
Veteran linebacker Yhonzae Pierre told The Tuscaloosa News at Media Day on Saturday, Aug. 8: "Since fall camp has started, he's been doing his job."
"He works hard and he's doing everything that's needed. You know, just living for the offense," Pierre said.
"Very explosive, very fast," junior Daniel Hill told The Tuscaloosa News. "For him to be that size, he's very fast."
Crowell is listed at 5-foot-11, 224 pounds on UA's roster and ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash in May at the Under Armour All-American Camp in Charlotte.
What has been most intriguing for Hill to watch, though, has been how Crowell has adapted to Ryan Grubb's offense.
"He learned faster than me. I can tell you that," Hill laughed.
Still, there's room for improvement in Grubb's eyes.
"He's got to learn the game. He's got to learn how to practice, full speed all the time," Grubb said on Thursday, Aug. 6.
"He's a great kid. He wants to do it. He loves being here. Alabama guy. But he's physical, he's tough, he's got great hands. Sky's the limit for him but he's got to learn the game, got to know how to practice and he's got a good shot."
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for The Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Why Alabama football teammates are buying into EJ Crowell hype in 2026
Continue reading...
Ezavier "EJ" Crowell is on campus for his freshman year now, bringing along a stacked resume highlighted by Gatorade Player of the Year honors and an AHSAA Class 4A state championship. With his third 300-plus yard game of the season, he led Jackson High to the title last December.
Crowell's rise was delayed by a soft-tissue injury in the spring following his early enrollment, but this is the same guy who wrote "Kill Everybody" on his eye black for his senior night − and juked three lines of defense for one of his four touchdowns in the 41-0 shutout.
Staying down isn't in Crowell's DNA. From what his new Crimson Tide teammates have seen, the No. 1 running back recruit in the nation is living up to his billing.
MORE FROM MEDIA DAY: Ryan Coleman-Williams, and the Alabama great who dropped some too | Goodbread
LOOKING BACK: Alabama has found its ‘kill everybody’ running back in 2026 5-star Ezavier Crowell
Veteran linebacker Yhonzae Pierre told The Tuscaloosa News at Media Day on Saturday, Aug. 8: "Since fall camp has started, he's been doing his job."
"He works hard and he's doing everything that's needed. You know, just living for the offense," Pierre said.
"Very explosive, very fast," junior Daniel Hill told The Tuscaloosa News. "For him to be that size, he's very fast."
Crowell is listed at 5-foot-11, 224 pounds on UA's roster and ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash in May at the Under Armour All-American Camp in Charlotte.
What has been most intriguing for Hill to watch, though, has been how Crowell has adapted to Ryan Grubb's offense.
"He learned faster than me. I can tell you that," Hill laughed.
Still, there's room for improvement in Grubb's eyes.
"He's got to learn the game. He's got to learn how to practice, full speed all the time," Grubb said on Thursday, Aug. 6.
"He's a great kid. He wants to do it. He loves being here. Alabama guy. But he's physical, he's tough, he's got great hands. Sky's the limit for him but he's got to learn the game, got to know how to practice and he's got a good shot."
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for The Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Why Alabama football teammates are buying into EJ Crowell hype in 2026
Continue reading...
