Alabama running back A.K. Dear is expected to miss an extended period after suffering a lower leg injury during the Crimson Tide’s first preseason scrimmage Thursday, multiple reports said.
Head coach Kalen DeBoer has not publicly commented on the injury, and beat reporters close to the team said the issue is not believed to be season-ending. There is no set timeline for Dear’s return, the reports said.
Beat reporters have projected fellow Mississippian Daniel Hill to be Alabama’s primary ball carrier while Dear is sidelined, according to those reports.
Dear, a sophomore, appeared in five games in 2025-26. As a freshman he had 19 carries for 140 yards and three touchdowns and caught three passes for 18 yards, according to team statistics.
Dear played at Quitman High School and was ranked by 247Sports as a top 100 player in the 2025 class, listed among the top five prospects in Mississippi and the No. 2 player at his position nationally, 247Sports reported. Recruiting reports said he committed to Ole Miss in March 2024 before flipping his commitment to Alabama roughly five months later and remaining with the Crimson Tide.
Reports also noted other Mississippi running backs have suffered offseason injuries. Missouri back Ahmad Hardy was recovering after being shot in Laurel in May, and Georgia back Dante Dowdell was recovering after an ATV accident that hospitalized him, the reports said.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
