Alabama Running Back Suffers Injury During First Fall Camp Scrimmage

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama football was inside Bryant-Denny Stadium for the first scrimmage of fall camp on Thursday as the program continues preparation for the 2026 season. The Crimson Tide completed the eighth practice of fall camp, but it didn't come without a cost.

"EJ [Crowell] did not scrimmage today," Kalen DeBoer told reporters after the scrimmage. "He'll be out for a few practices here. He won't miss any games down the road. So he did not practice today. AK [Dear] did suffer an injury. He actually was having a nice scrimmage, scored a touchdown. We'll evaluate him and figure out what the severity is of that. That's unfortunate, because he was having a real nice scrimmage with the touches he got. That's kind of the status on those two."

Crowell missed most of spring practice after enrolling early, making fall camp even more important for the highly touted freshman. Dear played in five games last season and gave the Crimson Tide its longest run of the year with a 56-yard touchdown against Lousiana-Monroe. Offensive coordinator recently praised Dear's maturity and development in pass protection, indicating the sophomore was in line for more action this year.

Alabama's wide receiver room was also a bit thin on Thursday as the unit didn't have a returning starter in the lineup for the scrimmage.

"Guys that sat out?" DeBoer said. "Lotzeir's [Brooks] missed a couple practices and did not scrimmage today. He'll just be out for a few more practices. I don't expect him to miss any games or anything like that, but he did not practice today."

Brooks played in 14 games last season as a true freshman, snagging 32 receptions for 441 yards and two touchdowns. Brooks joined Noah Rogers as scholarship receivers to miss the scrimmage, as Rogers is still recovering from a spring injury.

Alabama's 2026 Football Schedule

All times central (SEC games are bolded)

Sept. 5: vs. East Carolina, 11 a.m. on ABC
Sept. 12: at Kentucky, 2:30 p.m. on ABC
Sept. 19: vs. Florida State, 2:30 p.m. on ABC
Sept. 26: vs. South Carolina, NIGHT (5-7 p.m.)
Oct. 3: at Mississippi State, EARLY (11 a.m-12 p.m.)
Oct. 10: vs. Georgia, NIGHT (5-7 p.m.)
Oct. 17: at Tennessee, FLEX – will be announced 6-12 days out (2:30-3:30 p.m. OR 5-7 p.m.)
Oct. 24: vs. Texas A&M, FLEX (2:30-3:30 p.m. OR 5-7 p.m.)
Oct. 31: BYE
Nov. 7: at LSU, FLEX (2:30-3:30 p.m. OR 5-7 p.m.)
Nov. 14: at Vanderbilt, EARLY (11 a.m-12 p.m.)
Nov. 21: vs. Chattanooga, 1 p.m. on SECN+
Nov. 28: vs. Auburn, FLEX (2:30-3:30 p.m. OR 5-7 p.m.)

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