A long week for the Alabama football program continued during Friday’s spring scrimmage when freshman Bo Scarbrough was carted off the field. Since last Saturday, Alabama has dealt with three player arrests, dismissals of two of the arrested players, a torn ACL to wide receiver Cam Sims and now a knee injury to Scarbrough.
While the extent of the injury has not yet been announced, it was a hit to a position group that was already somewhat thin. Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake are the only running backs on the Alabama roster with in-game carries.
“Bo was doing pretty well but we have had a lot of injuries, suspensions and lost some people at that position,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “What seemed like a pretty strong position for us depth-wise has gotten a little thin.”
Drake missed most of last year after sustaining a leg injury against Ole Miss but has participated in all of the team’s spring practices and is expected to be ready when the season starts.
“Kenyan has been able to do everything,” Saban said. “I can’t say that he is 100 percent but I think that the big thing we are trying to do is get him all the reps we can get him but not bang him around too much. Once we get through the spring, he will have a significant amount of time to get some rest and get better conditioned.”
The running back position that was seen as a strength for the team last season has been significantly depleted this year. In January, former four-star Altee Tenpenny decided to transfer after two seasons in Tuscaloosa.
Just last week, Tyren Jones was dismissed from the team after being arrested on marijuana possession charges. Jones was already suspended at the time of the arrest and was dismissed the same day as his arrest.
Along with defensive lineman Jonathan Taylor, Jones became the second player dismissed from the program in just three days. Taylor was arrested on domestic violence charges Saturday night and dismissed on Sunday afternoon.
Alabama does have help on the way in the form of the No. 2 overall running back recruit Damien Harris. The five-star Kentucky native picked Alabama over Kentucky and Ohio State. He is expected to enroll and join the team over the summer.
Practice report:
-Alabama took the field for its first scrimmage on Saturday. The Crimson Tide wore helmets and full pads while practicing under a sunny, clear Tuscaloosa sky.
-Former Alabama star and current San Diego Chargers offensive lineman D.J. Fluker was in attendance.
-Quarterback Cooper Bateman wore an all-white jersey during drills before the scrimmage and worked exclusively with the wide receivers. Bateman has worked there multiple times this spring already.
-Tight end Ty Flournoy-Smith made a nice one-handed grab during the media-viewing period. Flournoy-Smith had four catches for 18 yards last year and caught a touchdown against Texas A&M.
