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By Cameron Kiszla
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The 2026 college football season is still weeks away, but the Alabama Crimson Tide are already hampered by injuries to their offensive stars.
Speaking after practice on Thursday, head coach Kalen DeBoer indicated a pair of running backs, both of whom are expected to compete for significant playing time this season, are dealing with injuries, Charlie Potter of BamaOnLine reported.
EJ Crowell, a freshman, missed the whole scrimmage with an injury, while AK Dear, a sophomore, was hurt during the practice. DeBoer didn't detail what either player sustained.
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Crowell "will be out for a few practices here," DeBoer said, though "he won't miss any games down the road."
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Dear was unfortunately injured after a strong day, DeBoer said.
"He actually was having a nice scrimmage, scored a touchdown," he said. "We’ll evaluate him and figure out the severity of that. It was unfortunate because he was having a real nice scrimmage there with the touches he got.”
Losing talented rushers could be a major setback for the Tide, as last year's running game drastically underperformed expectations.
Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb has said he is "resurrecting the run game," a task that would be tougher without either Dear or Crowell, not to mention both of them.
The two running backs weren't the only notable absences from scrimmage, either. Wide receiver Lotzeir Brooks missed Thursday's scrimmage and will miss more time due to a concussion, sources told Potter. DeBoer does expect Brooks back for the season, though.
“Lotzeir missed a couple practices and did not scrimmage today, and will just be out for a few more practices, I would expect,” DeBoer said. “Don’t expect him to miss any games or anything like that, so he did not practice today.”
Brooks' steadily grew over the course of last season, including a breakout game against the Oklahoma Sooners in the College Football Playoff.
That night, he nabbed five passes for 79 yards, including a pair touchdowns.
With the departure of Germie Bernard to the NFL, Brooks could be the player to step up and play alongside returning star Ryan Coleman-Williams.
As is the case with Crowell and Dear, though, Brooks will need to get healthy before the season starts if he wants to make an impact.
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