Which Players Sat Out of Alabama's Second Fall Scrimmage

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Alabama held its second and final scrimmage of the fall on Saban Field inside Bryant-Denny Stadium on Thursday morning, and there were still two offensive players that were held out of the scrimmage.

Freshman running back EJ Crowell missed his fifth scrimmage since arriving on campus as an early enrollee, and sophomore wide receiver Lotzeir Brooks did not play for the second scrimmage in a row, even though he was spotted participating in practice on Monday.

"As far as guys that are still out, EJ's not scrimmaging, and we're really hopeful that some time next week he's coming back to step on the football field and practice," Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said Thursday morning. "I would put Lotzeir in the same category. He did not scrimmage today."

After the first scrimmage, DeBoer said he doesn't expect either Crowell or Brooks to miss any games with the current injuries nagging them. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb echoed similar sentiments after Tuesday's practice.

"EJ is doing great," Grubb said Tuesday. "Sooner than later, he’ll be back. Definitely not season-ending. Fully expecting to be ready for the first football game.”

Crowell was one of the highest-rated player in the class of 2026 as an in-state running back out of Jackson. Brooks had 32 catches for 441 yards and two touchdowns last season during his freshman campaign. Both touchdowns came in the Crimson Tide's College Football Playoff win over Oklahoma.

There are other players, like junior running back AK Dear and freshman defensive back Jordan Edmonds, that are out for extended time and obviously did not participate in the scrimmage either.

With Dear and Crowell both dealing with injuries, Alabama has four other scholarship running backs: seniors Daniel Hill and Khalifa Keith, junior Kevin Riley and freshman Trae'Shawn Brown. The true freshman has made a big push during fall camp to become a contributor.

"I just really think that Trae'Shawn, especially going into camp that's the question, you just feel more and more comfortable with him out there," DeBoer said. "Honestly, I felt pretty good about him as a ball carrier based on what we saw this spring. You're just always working on ball security and things like that at the college level, but he's really adapted well. And then it just leads into pass protections and any checks the quarterbacks make, and you can see he's a smart guy. It matters to him.

"He's definitely not noticable in a bad way out there. He's going there, making plays and continuing to progress. I think EJ was heading that way too, so it'll be good to get him back out there on the field."

Junior college transfer defensive back Nick Sherman got hurt with a lower body injury in Thursday's scrimmage, but that was the only in-game injury according to DeBoer.

Alabama opens the 2026 season in just over two weeks against East Carolina on Sept. 5.

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