ATLANTA — With Alabama’s backfield depth over the years, it has been surprisingly hard for top running backs to put together back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons (or even two 1,000-yard seasons non-consecutively).

Mark Ingram won the Heisman Trophy in 2009 and didn’t accomplish it. Neither did 2015 Heisman winner Derrick Henry. Eddie Lacy and Trent Richardson both came up short, too.

In fact, T.J. Yeldon is one of two Tide running backs to post two 1,000-yard seasons since coach Nick Saban took over in 2007. Yeldon rushed for 1,108 yards as a freshman in 2012 and followed it up with a 1,235-yard performance in 2013. Yeldon couldn’t get the three-peat, though, finishing his junior year in 2014 with 979 yards.

Damien Harris has a chance to do something those star players couldn’t. He’s trying to become just the sixth SEC running back to post three 1,000-yard yard seasons (Harris had 1,037 yards in 2016 and exactly 1,000 last season). The company he would join:

  • Herschel Walker, Georgia
  • Kevin Faulk, LSU
  • Alex Collins, Arkansas
  • Darren McFadden, Arkansas
  • Nick Chubb, Georgia

That’s it.

Kentucky’s Benny Snell Jr. will almost certainly join that list this fall if he stays healthy, but Harris can be either the sixth or seventh name on that elite list with another big year.

As one of the Tide’s leaders, Harris has the respect of the entire locker room, and it’s clear his teammates are rooting for him to have another outstanding season.

Speaking at SEC Media Days on Wednesday, Alabama center Ross Pierschbacher said he and the other linemen take great pride in Harris’ success.

“Damien’s obviously a great back,” he said. “It makes it fun for us, knowing that if we do our job, he can bust a big run at any time. It makes us want to do our jobs better and block well for those guys.

“We obviously want to see our backs have as much success as possible. It does reflect on us. If he does get (the 1,000-yard season), that’d be awesome — just another notch in our belts. For Damien, it would mean a lot, I’m sure.”

The love between offensive line and running back is mutual, as Harris echoed Pierschbacher’s sentiments, saying he has so much success because he’s played behind great linemen.

“Any sort of success that I have, I always defer to them, because I wouldn’t have the ability to do what I do (without them),” he said. “A lot of times, people think that as running backs, it’s all about what we do, but you look at those guys up front and there are a lot of times — not just myself, but all of our running backs — that we’re untouched for 10, 15 yards. That’s not because we’re playing bad defenses, but our offensive line is that good and they go out of their way to protect us play after play.

“Everything we do and any sort of success we have runs through them. We’re very fortunate to have a great offensive line, great offensive line coach and our entire system. It’s the foundation of our offense.”

Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Behind Harris, Alabama has guys like Najee Harris, Josh Jacobs and Brian Robinson in the backfield, so Damien will likely get fewer carries than some of the SEC’s other big-name backs. But he’s shown he can do a lot in limited action, averaging 7.1 and 7.4 yards per carry the past two seasons.

In addition to leading the way on the field, Saban said Harris deserves a lot of credit for the way he mentors the other running backs.

“Damien’s always been a great example, a great leader, a player that other players can emulate,” Saban said. “I think he cares about his teammates. He’s always been very well-respected on our team from a leadership standpoint.

“Obviously, a guy who’s had back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons has made a great impact. Hopefully that impact will be even greater this year. I think running back is a position where we have pretty good depth. Damien’s leadership will be pretty critical to helping those guys play well this year and I think that can be one of the strengths of our team.”

Harris’ run for the record books begins on Sept. 1 against Louisville. He’ll be eager to start the season off on a positive note and his teammates and coaches will be working hard to make sure he has plenty of room to run.