The 2016 season is still more than four months away, and the Tide hasn’t even played its spring game yet. But it’s never too early to start thinking about those starting rosters for the regular season.
Or is it?
Former Tide RB and Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry will be sorely missed by this Alabama team. He was a one-of-a-kind player physically, and his work ethic and leadership skills were assets as well.
Perhaps if Tide RB Kenyan Drake weren’t headed to the NFL with Henry, Alabama would feel a little more secure with the situation in the backfield.
But no matter whom Alabama loses, Tide head coach Nick Saban still operates a running back factory, and sophomore RB Bo Scarbrough just may be ready to step up in Henry’s absence.
Don’t get too excited. Scarbrough had only 18 carries for 104 yards and a single touchdown in the 2015 season.
However, it is important to remember that he hit a number of obstacles last season. Scarbrough was suspended for the first four games of the season. And on top of the suspension, he suffered an ACL injury during the 2015 spring practices that would have kept him out of the first two games at the least.
He’s unproven on college football Saturdays, but based on his performance this spring, some cautious optimism is in order.
Scarbrough came into spring practices at 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds — 10 pounds down from where he was in January, at the direction of Saban and the team nutritionist Amy Bragg.
“We try to work hard with [Bragg] to come up with what’s the most efficient, effective weight for a guy,” Saban told reporters. “Sometimes these guys keep lifting weights and they just keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger. I think at certain positions, especially skill positions, that’s not always advantageous.”
In January, Scarbrough’s bench press weight was 475 pounds, his squat weight was 525 pounds, and his 40-yard dash was clocked at 4.4 seconds.
So needless to say, he’s been working toward this spring success.
On Saturday, in a single scrimmage, Scarbrough beat his 2015 season numbers, carrying the ball 12 times for 111 yards and a touchdown. That’s on top of the 132 yards and three touchdowns he mustered on nine carries in Alabama’s first scrimmage.
His teammates and coaches have had nothing but praise for him this offseason.
“Man, he brings it, so you better bring it,” Tide DE Da’Shawn Hand said, according to AL.com. “He’s a man.”
His former coaches and teammates also sing his praises. Adam Behrends was one of Scarbrough’s coaches at the IMG Academy in Florida, and he believes Scarbrough will live up to the hype.
“He’s not just one of those guys who’s really good because he’s bigger and faster than everybody,” Behrends said, according to Bleacher Report. “He was better than everybody because he was just better than everything.”
But the job isn’t Scarbrough’s yet. He does still have to win it.
Next in line is Tide RB Damien Harris, Scarbrough’s biggest competition for the starting spot next season, along with yet-to-arrive true freshman B.J. Emmons. Harris had 8 carries for 56 yards in Saturday’s scrimmage.
Scarbrough may be performing better right now, but Harris did have better numbers in game time in 2015, with 46 carries for 157 yards and a TD. And the coaches aren’t shy to tell us that Scarbrough needs to get better.
“I like his work ethic, I like his toughness,” Saban said, according to AL.com. “I think there’s things that we need to improve on, but we’re encouraged by what he’s done to this point.”
Saban may be cautious, as usual, but many Alabama fans and players are already comparing Scarbrough to Henry.
“He’s going to be a great one,” Tide DT Jarran Reed said. “He’s another Derrick Henry.”
Only time will tell how these comparisons affect Scarbrough’s ability to perform, and if he truly is worth the hype.
