No. 1 RB Prospect Named 'Can't-Miss Player' in College Football

Over six months separate the middle of February from the first weekend of the 2026 college football season.

The 2026 season presents an opportunity for new stars to emerge across the college football landscape. One of those players looking to catapult himself into stardom is running back Ezavier Crowell, who is entering his freshman season at Alabama.

The 5-foot-11, 205-pounder was a five-star prospect in the class of 2026 and ranked as the No. 1 running back in the class, per 247Sports. The Jackson, Alabama, native was an in-state priority for the Crimson Tide.

Crowell will start his college football career a season early after reclassifying from the class of 2027 to the class of 2026. In his final season at Jackson High School, he ran for 2,632 yards and 35 touchdowns.

247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins raved about Crowell's potential in his scouting report, mentioning that he has the ability to serve as an every-down back and affect the passing game out of the backfield. Interestingly, Ivins' NFL comparison to Crowell was Josh Jacobs, a former Alabama running back who has become one of the league's most productive rushers in the past seven years.

Ezavier Crowell during the AHSAA 4A State Championship game. — Jackson's Ezavier Crowell (13) breaks a touchdown run on the Aggies’ first possession against Cherokee County in the AHSAA 4A State Championship | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In honor of Valentine's Day, Brad Shepard of Bleacher Report compiled a list of the 15 players the college football world will fall in love with in the 2026 season. Crowell was the fifth player on Shepard's list, earning the description of a "can't-miss" player.

"At 5'11", 205 pounds, Crowell is an ideal size for an every-down back, and he was the nation's top-ranked running back for a reason. He has the vision, burst and second-level speed necessary to start right away," Shepard wrote. "The running game has been a massive disappointment for Alabama in the Kalen DeBoer era, but Crowell can change all that. If he does, he'll be beloved in Title Town."

The Crimson Tide will undergo changes to its running back room aside from Crowell's addition in 2026. Jam Miller is headed to the 2026 NFL draft, and Richard Young transferred to Colorado. Alabama will return Daniel Hill, AK Dear and Kevin Riley for 2026, although none rushed for more than 300 yards in 2025.

As Shepard alluded to, running the football has not been a strength in the first two seasons of Kalen DeBoer's tenure. The Crimson Tide finished 2025 with 1,562 rush yards, its worst season mark in a quarter of a century.

Additionally, Alabama has not boasted a 1,000-yard running back since Brian Robinson Jr. in 2021, a shocking thing to consider when it produced a pair of Heisman Trophy winners at the position in Mark Ingram II and Derrick Henry within the last 20 seasons.