One thing has remained true with Alabama’s running back unit for the last several years. The Crimson Tide doesn't rebuild, it reloads.

Even after losing Jase McClellan to the draft and Roydell Williams to Florida State, Alabama's backfield should still be in good shape this season. Friday night, running back coach Robert Gillespie spoke encouragingly about his unit, breaking down what to expect from the Tide's young but promising backs.

“I think everybody brings something different to the table,” Gillespie said. “They all have the one goal which is to win, but they all want to be great. They all bring something different to the table. From Jam [Miller], to Justice [Haynes], to Richard [Young}, to Daniel [Hill], those guys are all working hard.”

Junior Jam Miller is the oldest of the running backs on the roster, and showed several flashes last season of being a difference maker. Now, expected to split the backfield with a couple of different backs, Miller will be a prominent leader of the offense this season.

“He’s the kind of guy who just puts his hard hat on and goes to work,” Gillespie said. “It’s really good to see him become a leader, become more of a vocal guy and just to see his personality come out a little bit. He has a really good relationship with the room. Justice and him are young guys, but they still push each other. It’s been really good to see him evolve. Obviously, we’ve only had 3 days of practice, so it’ll be neat to see how he finishes once we get off break.”

Last season, Miller finished with 201 yards on the ground off of 41 carries, along with finding the end zone once against Kentucky. Now stepping into a bigger role, Miller is expected to be a focal point of the Crimson Tide’s new and improved offensive attack.

Another exciting young talent for the Crimson Tide last season was Justice Haynes. The sophomore running back was able to take a few snaps last year from time to time, and really got to show off his ability in the Rose Bowl, picking up 31 yards on just four carries.

“Kids get better the more they do it,” Gillespie said. “We had a whole month to prepare for the bowl, and just those extra reps he got gave him a chance to play a little bit, and obviously we’ll continue to see what he can do this spring.”

After giving the country a few glimpses into what he can do on the football field, Haynes has high expectations for himself this year.

“There’s been a lot of great running backs that have come through the University of Alabama,” Haynes said. “Just trusting guys playing. I definitely feel like this year I want to do some special things.”

While Haynes and Miller will likely be the frontrunners in the Crimson Tide backfield, there are a couple more “under the radar” backs who will likely make a few appearances in the fall.

Richard Young is a redshirt freshman who tallied nine carries for 24 yards, along with a touchdown across his three games in action. Though he’ll likely be behind Miller and Haynes in the depth chart, the young back can still make a difference when he’s on the field.

Lastly, the Crimson Tide’s brand new addition to an already loaded running back unit was Daniel Hill, a four-star recruit from Meridian, Mississippi. The young back was ranked as the No. 15 rusher in the country out of high school and has already made an impression on his new coach.

“Daniel is a kid that’s learning a lot,” Gillespie said. “He’s very smart, has picked up on all the playbook and pass protection things that you kind of worry about early on with a running back, and he’s been really good.”

Alabama has an incredibly deep and talented backfield unit with a lot of high expectations. After just three practices this spring, it appears that Gillespie has the utmost confidence in his group.