Nick Saban raves about early impact from Justice Haynes

A lot has been made about how Alabama is going to replace Bryce Young. However, Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide also need to replace star running back Jahmyr Gibbs, a key contributor to the offense in 2022.

One player who Saban is likely to turn to is Justice Haynes, a freshman running back that has impressed Saban to this point.

“Justice is a really good player,” Nick Saban said. “He had a great spring. He’s got great maturity about him. You wouldn’t know he’s a freshman if you didn’t know better.”

Haynes was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2023, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. He was the second ranked running back in the class, only behind CJ Baxter Jr, and the 33rd ranked player overall.

“Nothing’s too big for him in terms of learning, going out and executing, he’s not intimidated by anything, and the guy’s got toughness. He can run behind his pads, he’s got good speed, he’s a good receiver, he can make you miss. So, I think he’s got a really bright future and I think he will contribute to the team this year.”

On3’s Matt Zenitz agrees with Nick Saban. Justice Haynes is a name that college fans are going to want to know for the future.

“Haynes was one of the top stars of the spring at Alabama and closed out the spring with three touchdowns in the Crimson Tide’s spring game on Saturday,” Zenitz wrote. “Even with Alabama being deep at running back, Haynes is positioning himself to be a factor for the Tide as a freshman.”

Nick Saban had previously praised Haynes

After Alabama’s spring game wasn’t the only time Nick Saban had praised Justice Haynes, though. In the midst of spring practice, Saban also spoke highly of the young running back.

“Justice has had a great spring, he’s a really good player. He’s a really mature guy. He’s really smart. Nothing’s really too big for him. He goes out there and competes and if you were just a guy sitting on a log watching, you would never know he was a freshman,” Saban said.

“So he’s a very talented guy. He can make cuts, he can make you miss. He’s got some power. He’s got good speed, he’s a good receiver. So he’s done a really, really good job all spring.”