Alabama Running Back Planning to Enter Transfer Portal

Richard Young becomes the fourth player and first running back to move on from the Crimson Tide.

Sep 6, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama running back Richard Young (9) runs for a touchdown against UL Monroe as Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson (15) celebrates behind him at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images | Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

Alabama running back Richard Young has entered the transfer portal, per 247 Sports' Chris Hummer.

The redshirt sophomore appeared in five games for the Crimson Tide this season, logging 64 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries (2.8 yards per attempt). Young also had one catch for six yards.

Young played in Alabama’s first three contests, but did not see any action until the Eastern Illinois game. He saw the field in the SEC Championship loss to Georgia, but he did not record any stats.

Young becomes the fourth Alabama player planning to enter the transfer portal, following wide receiver Aeryn "Bubba" Hampton, defensive back Kameron Howard and offensive lineman Roq Montgomery.

Alabama is now down to five running backs for the 2026 season: Daniel Hill, Kevin Riley and AK Dear and incoming freshmen Ezavier Crowell and Traeshawn Brown.

The Crimson Tide was led by two running backs in 2024: Jam Miller and Justice Haynes. Young was third on the depth chart, and following Haynes’ transfer to Michigan in December of last year, he had expectations to fill that role this season.

Young worked through an early-season injury in 2024, as he finished with 27 carries for 146 yards (5.4 yards per carry) and two touchdowns in seven games. He redshirted his first season after appearing in just three games in a crowded backfield behind Jase McClellan, Roydell Williams, Miller and Haynes.

But Young quickly slid down the depth chart, as Hill and Riley backed Miller up with true freshman Dear earning more reps as well later in the season. Alabama’s run game was perhaps its main weakness during the 2025 season, and while the Crimson Tide utilized numerous running backs, Young was not a part of the experimental phase.

Young obviously didn’t win the competition, but he was a part of the battle to replace Miller for a few weeks, as the starter sustained a collarbone injury in August.

"Rich has been super physical and has been a guy in the last two scrimmages, that when I thought we needed a little bit of a spark to pop a run up the middle and finish, he's done a great job," Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said on Aug.19. "He worked really, really hard in becoming a better player out of the backfield. He has gotten better at that. Very responsible, cares a lot, he's tough, physical and we love him.”

The transfer portal officially opens on Friday, Jan. 2 and closes on Jan. 16. The spring portal was eliminated in September and will no longer be an option for athletes.

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