Najee Harris says Bama’s No. 1 RB spot is up for grabs

The starting running back position at Alabama is technically vacant after the departure of Josh Jacobs and Damien Harris to the NFL this offseason, but most observers think Najee Harris has the job sealed up.


But Harris doesn’t consider himself the primary option just yet. 

“I feel like we should all be ready,” Harris told reporters. “I don’t really feel like I have a No. 1 spot. I feel like we’re all competing for it, especially in camp right now. So I don’t really think about none of that. I think about all the stuff I’ve got to work on personally, like my alignment, my blitz pickups, and my reading out the runs and all that stuff. I don’t really think about the year right now.”

High-profile running backs like Harris typically get playing time right away, but the former five-star recruit had to wait his turn behind players like Josh Jacobs, Bo Scarborough, Damien Harris, and even quarterback Jalen Hurts, all of whom handled most of the load during his freshman season.

Despite that talent in front of him, Harris still got some exposure, playing in all 14 games for the Tide as a true freshman in 2017 and finishing as their fourth-best rusher. Last season, he saw more snaps, rushing for 783 yards and four touchdowns on 117 attempts.

Harris has been the No. 1 back with the first-team offense during Alabama’s spring and fall practices, and, despite his own reluctance to admit so himself, should eventually get the nod in time for their Aug. 31 opener against Duke.