Trey Sanders’ sturdy legs shuffled in and out of dummies with acute precision. His previously-injured hip showed no signs of limitation. Alabama is still in the early stages of its fall camp, but it’s hard to find a more promising sight for the Crimson Tide.
Since arriving at Alabama as the top back in the 2019 class, Sanders has spent the majority of his time either on the sidelines or the operating table. A broken foot during the fall of 2019 snuffed out his debut season before it started. That misfortune carried over into last year as he suffered a season-ending hip injury during a car accident in early November.
Nine months removed from that incident, the five star back is finally returning to full health, much to the delight of his coaches and teammates.
“It feels great having Trey back out there just knowing the situation he went through,” senior running back Brian Robinson Jr. said. “We stood by his side throughout that whole process, and he kept his down and he kept working all the way up to this point. It’s a good feeling to have him back out there. He’s happy. He’s feeling a lot better. The main goal for him is to get him as close to 100 percent as we can before the season starts. He’s a great addition to our running back room, and we would love to see him have the opportunity to play.”
Sunday, Nick Saban opened up on Sanders’ status, stating the team is still going to take a cautious approach with the redshirt sophomore. Alabama has yet to practice in full pads, so the real test could come in a few days when workouts take on a more game-like feel.
“The issue always with a player who has a significant injury like he had is how is he’s gonna 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.”
Still, it’s hard not to get excited when contemplating Sanders’ potential to the unit. Before suffering his injury last season, the 6-foot, 214-pound back appeared to be turning the corner, rushing for a career-high 80 yards on 12 carries during Alabama’s 41-0 victory over Mississippi State.
Sanders was able to flash his big-play potential during that game, breaking runs of 25 yards and 21 yards on back-to-back carries in the fourth quarter. While he’s still working his way back to full strength, he’s already shown signs of recovering that explosiveness this fall.
“We’re pleased with his progress,” Saban said. “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.”
The addition of Sanders would serve as somewhat of a luxury to Alabama. After all, the Tide already features one of the nation’s deepest backfields consisting of Robinson as well as sophomores Jase McClellan and Roydell Wiliams and five-star freshman Camar Wheaton. Still, Alabama can’t help but be excited about the possibility of adding another thoroughbred to its already loaded stable of backs.
“It’s amazing to see him close to 100 percent, seeing him get out there,” offensive lineman Evan Neal said. “Me and him were actually roommates at IMG, so I know how bad he wants it and I know how bad he wants to get out on the field and, you know, just make an impact for himself. I’m just happy for him. Happy to see him develop and get better.”
