Alabama RB AK Dear Out 6 Weeks With Ankle Injury
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- AK Dear is expected to miss about six weeks after sustaining an ankle injury in the first of Alabama's two preseason scrimmages, with 247Sports and On3 reporting the timeline on Friday.
- Kalen DeBoer confirmed Thursday that Dear was hurt, saying "It was unfortunate because he was having a real nice scrimmage there with the touches he got."
- Dear, a redshirt freshman from Mississippi, had been competing for the starting job to replace Jam Miller and totaled 140 rushing yards and three touchdowns across five games.
- Alabama will now lean on highly touted freshman Trae'shawn Brown and EJ Crowell, plus Daniel Hill, who led the team with six rushing touchdowns in 2025.
Why it matters: Dear's six-week absence puts him on the shelf through the first month-plus of the season, compressing the competition to replace Jam Miller into a three-back audition featuring a 2025 touchdown leader and two touted freshmen — a depth test that will shape Alabama's offensive identity before conference play heats up.
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