Alabama football coach Nick Saban doesn't want to limit the conversation about Crimson Tide running backs to those who are practicing this spring.
Juniors Najee Harris and Brian Robinson are the most experienced running backs in Tuscaloosa after the departures of Damien Harris and Josh Jacobs, and Jerome Ford is a redshirt freshman after playing in just four games last season. The Tide signed running backs Keilan Robinson and Trey Sanders, but neither enrolled early.
Derrick Henry was Alabama's clear-cut running back during the 2015 season, when he won the Heisman Trophy and led the Tide to the fourth of five national titles under Saban, but there has been either a 1-2 punch or a tailback-by-committee approach in most years of Saban's regime.
"We've had diversity at running back, but most of the time, a young person contributes to that, and almost always a freshman," Saban said Wednesday night in a news conference. "Mark Ingram was a freshman when Glen Coffee was here. Trent Richardson played some when he was a freshman and Mark was the player. If you go through the history of all the guys, I think Eddie Lacy was the only one who didn't play quite a bit when he was a freshman, and that's because he was a late qualifier and got here late in the summer."
Wednesday marked the Tide's 10th spring practice.
Harris is Alabama's top returning rusher, having amassed 783 yards and 6.7 yards per carry last season. Robinson ran for 272 yards and 4.3 per rush.
The 6-foot, 214-pound Sanders was the No. 1 running back nationally in the 2019 signing class out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, while the 5-9, 184-pound Robinson was a four-star signee out of Washington, D.C.
"I really feel like Najee and B-Rob are both really good players, and I think they're ready to take the next step in terms of making a significant contribution," Saban said. "I would expect we would also get some help from those younger players."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.