Injured Alabama running back Jam Miller is no longer listed on the availability report during pregame on Saturday, indicating that the senior starting running back is good to go for the Crimson Tide’s game against Tennessee in Bryant-Denny Stadium.
He began the week at “questionable” on Wednesday, but was upgraded to “probable” on Thursday and remained the same on Friday. It appears that Miller has sustained no major setback in the final 24 hours and is on track to play against the Volunteers.
Miller was injured late in Alabama’s 27-24 win over Missouri last Saturday in Columbia. He entered concussion protocol after suffering a helmet-to-helmet hit near the sideline against the Tigers. Miller exited the game and did not return to the contest for the final 10 minutes.
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While quarterback Ty Simpson has rightfully received the praise for Alabama’s offensive success this season, Miller has helped keep things balanced and keep opponents respectful of the run. The 5-foot-10 running back is Alabama’s leading rusher this season with 267 yards and one touchdown on 58 carries. If Miller is limited in any way, the Crimson Tide will likely turn to 5-foot-11 freshman Kevin Riley for an increased role. Riley has 183 yards on 44 carries so far this season.
During a 24-17 loss to Tennessee in the 2024 season, Miller rushed for just 42 yards on 12 carries for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama’s offense ranks 12th in the conference with 126.5 yards on the ground per game. Tennessee’s defense, meanwhile, ranks 10th in the conference giving up 136 rushing yards per game.
“Obviously, Coach Grubb and Kalen (DeBoer) have been together for a long time,” Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said on Wednesday about Alabama’s offensive coaching staff. “A year ago, you saw a lot of what they’ve done. I think the biggest difference is just the quarterback and style of play. Throughout their history together, they’ve had a lot of different types of quarterbacks and have been able to kind of push it to the skillset of the guy that they have.”
Check out the Saturday afternoon availability report for both Tennessee and Alabama here.
