Alabama RB Trey Sanders no longer limited by injury

Alabama running back Trey Sanders is “very close to being 100-percent” after a car crash forced him off the field for the final stretch in 2020 with a hip injury. The former five-star running back is entering his redshirt sophomore season with a chance to play a bigger role in the offense after the departure of do-it-all running back Najee Harris.

“[Sanders] hasn’t been limited,” Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban said during a Wednesday press conference. “He’s been doing really, really well. I don’t know how he’s going to continue to develop and progress, but he’s worked hard. He’s doing a good job. We’re very positive and pleased with the progress that he’s made, and we’re very pleased with where he is right now.”

Recovering from injury

The crash was Trey Sanders’ second major injury at Alabama, the other coming in the preseason of 2019 when he suffered a season-ending foot injury.

“We’re pleased with his progress,” Saban said of Sanders. “I’m pleased with his attitude. I see his burst and acceleration coming back and he’s been able to do it and repeat it on a day-to-day basis without having issue.”

With three weeks left until the season opener against Miami, Alabama is now starting to work in pads. Over the past week, the team worked in shorts and helmets to combat the summer heat and work players back into playing shape. Sanders was among the players with the most on the line in his return to the field.

“The issue always with a player who has a significant injury like he had is how is he going to respond when he actually starts having to play football and gets hit and has to hit other people?” Saban said. “That’s an unknown that we’ll just have to wait and see, because we’ve only been in shorts and helmets so far, so we’ve had very limited contact.”

A competitive backfield

Sanders ran for 134 yards on 30 attempts last season and made one catch for a loss of two yards. He played mostly with the second-team unit, lining up behind new starting quarterback Bryce Young during the final minutes. Sanders also returned one kick for 17 yards in 2020.

“He continues to work hard, and we’ll see how he continues to develop,” Saban said.

Sanders will compete with senior running back Brian Robinson Jr. and five-star freshman Camar Wheaton for starting reps this season. Others in the backfield include sophomores Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams.

Image courtesy of Kent Gidley/Collegiate Images/Getty Images