Alabama
Where Alabama football’s running back group stands for 2025 after Justice Haynes departure
One of Alabama football’s top contributors at running back, Justice Haynes, is one his way to the transfer portal. Haynes leaves behind a Crimson Tide group that will have five players on scholarship, barring any more transfer portal activity.
Even without Haynes, much of the production from Alabama’s 2024 running backs is set to return. Here’s a look at where the position group will stand entering Kalen DeBoer’s second season in charge.
Jam Miller
Miller was one of the Crimson Tide’s top two backs this season, splitting carries with Haynes. He finished the regular season with 641 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.
The junior had 135 carries throughout the regular season, most among Alabama RBs, ahead of Haynes’ 79. Miller scored seven touchdowns on the ground, and also contributed 119 yards and another score in the passing game.
He figures to continue atop the UA depth chart in 2025, absent a transfer portal decision.
Richard Young
With Haynes out of the picture, Young could see more carries in 2025. As a redshirt freshman this season, he went for 140 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
The 5-foot-11, 216-pound Young joined Alabama as a four-star prospect in the 2023 signing class.
Daniel Hill
One of Alabama’s young running backs who could see more action in Haynes’ absence is hill. He brings a different sort of threat than Miller and Young, playing more of a power style.
Hill is listed at 6-foot-1, 241 pounds. He finished the 2024 regular season with 21 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown.
Hill was a four-star recruit in the 2024 class.
Kevin Riley
A Tuscaloosa County product, Riley redshirted his freshman season with the Crimson Tide. The four-star 2024 signee played in two games, finishing with 10 carries for 30 yards.
AK Dear
The newest addition to the Alabama group is Dear, who joins as a signee in the 2025 recruiting class. Dear was initially committed to Ole Miss before flipping to the Crimson Tide.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Dear, from Quitman, Miss., was ranked as the No. 2 running back in the 2025 class by 247Sports. He’s a four-star prospect.
“Displays good patience and vision at the line of scrimmage while demonstrating the short area burst and explosiveness to change gears from the first to second level to create separation between the tackles,” 247Sports national recruiting analyst Cooper Petagna wrote in his scouting report of Dear. “An efficient mover that can make defenders miss with his one cut elusiveness or contact balance, Dear excels finding hidden yardage and accounting for yards after contact utilizing his powerful lower half.”
Alabama
Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing In Peanut Field Near Florida-Alabama Line : NorthEscambia.com
A single-engine plane made an emergency landing in an Alabama peanut field near the Florida state line on Friday afternoon.
The pilot and a student made the landing in the field after experiencing engine trouble, approximately 0.7 miles south-southwest of the runway at the Atmore Municipal Airport. There were no injuries.
The 2023 Diamond DA 40 NG plane belonging to Skywarrior Flight Training of Pensacola did not sustain any apparent damage.
For more photos, click here.
The incident occurred just north of Old Bratt Road, which is also known as State Line Road in Florida. The Florida-Alabama state line is generally considered to be along the middle of the roadway.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Alabama
Final 2026 MLB mock draft projections for Alabama’s Justin Lebron
The 2026 Major League Baseball Draft begins Saturday, and Alabama Crimson Tide shortstop Justin Lebron has consistently been touted as one of the first 10-20 overall picks among analysts’ various mock drafts.
On Friday, CBS Sports released its final mock ahead of this weekend’s festivities in Philadelphia. Analyst Mike Axisa sees Lebron going to the Texas Rangers with the 16th overall selection.
Among college players, Lebron lands between Arkansas catcher Ryder Helfrick at No. 14 and one spot above Texas A&M second baseman Chris Hacopian in CBS Sports’ final analysis.
Axisa said of the possible Rangers-Lebron fit:
“The Rangers have a thing for ‘famous’ prospects in the draft (think Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker), and Lebron is one of the most famous prospects available this summer. About 18 months ago, he was the favorite to go No. 1 overall, but some uneven performances (and Cholowsky’s breakout) cooled that talk. Lebron has some of the loudest tools in the draft class. We’re talking speed, power, athleticism, the works. Approach and plate discipline concerns have held him back, though.”
ESPN sees Alabama’s Justin Lebron among top 12 MLB draft picks
In the final MLB mock draft by ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel on Friday, Lebron goes 12th overall to the Los Angeles Angels. LSU outfielder Derek Curiel is taken one pick above Lebron by the Washington Nationals in McDaniel’s draft forecast.
“With a new interim head of baseball operations in John Mozeliak, who is mostly hands-off with the draft, the belief is that the scouts will get to make this pick. That doesn’t mean all prep upside because that’s not really what the board is giving them, but I could see the Angels selecting a college hitter with less polish and more upside, such as Lebron, who is a nice value here.” –Kiley McDaniel, ESPN.com.
Could Justin Lebron be a top-10 pick in 2026 MLB draft?
For The Win, part of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group, unveiled its 2026 mock draft on Friday. Wajih AlBaroudi has Lebron going as high as No. 8 overall to the Athletics and said:
“Lebron is a dynamic athlete whose only glaring flaw is his patience at the plate. If he can clean that up, he’ll be a fixture atop the A’s lineup.”
Keith Law’s final mock draft for The Athletic (subscription required for full access) has Lebron taken with the 15th overall pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Justin Lebron career stats at Alabama
Lebron batted .313 with a .414 on base percentage, 45 home runs, 39 doubles and 158 RBIs in three seasons for the Crimson Tide. He stole 69 bases in his collegiate career. This past season, Lebron hit .277 with 16 homers and 13 doubles as Alabama won 42 games and reached the College World Series for the first time since 1999.
Where to watch the 2026 MLB draft: time, TV channel, streaming
The 2026 Major League Baseball Draft begins Saturday in Philadelphia. Per Major League Baseball, rounds 1-4 start at noon CT. The first 10 picks will be televised on NBC and will stream on Peacock. Picks 11-40 can be seen on MLB Network beginning at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Rounds 5-20 begin Sunday at 10:30 a.m. CT and can be seen on MLB.com.
Follow us at @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook, for ongoing coverage of Alabama Crimson Tide news, notes and opinions.
Alabama
University of Alabama police officer's family leans on law enforcement community after his death
-
New York52 minutes agoHow ‘The Wire’ Star Jamie Hector Spends a Hot Day in Brooklyn
-
Los Angeles, Ca55 minutes agoBurglars ransack Sherman Oaks condo building during fumigation
-
Detroit, MI1 hour agoMetro Detroit weather forecast, July 10, 2026 — 11 p.m. Update
-
San Francisco, CA1 hour agoClassical music series helps reconnect downtown San Francisco community
-
Dallas, TX1 hour agoDallas police officers, paramedics recall saving woman stuck in a ravine for days;
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoRed Sox win 7th straight game just hours after landing in New York
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoOne tree at a time: Denver nonprofit works to close shade gap as heat dome threatens neighborhoods
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoVIDEO: West Seattle Summer Fest 2026 day 1, evening report