Alabama running back Jam Miller has a clear path to a 1,000-yard season, he just needs a little help
Jam Miller is expected to be Alabama’s starting running back this season, and there’s a path for him to hit the 1,000-yard mark if things go the Tide’s way.
Alabama hasn’t fielded a 1,000-yard rusher since Brian Robinson ran for 1,343 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2021. The Crimson Tide had seen a running back top 1,000 yards in five of the previous six seasons too, which is quite a run.
Will 2025 get back to that level of production, especially for just one player individually, or do we see more of what’s occurred the last three seasons? It’s difficult to say one way or another, but we do know it will be an uphill battle with three and possibly even four running backs all vying for snaps and carries.
Don’t get me wrong, Alabama is good enough to field a strong run game this year. The offensive line brings power and continuity, and a more traditional, consistent passing game should provide more opportunities for the run game. We know this Kalen DeBoer-Ryan Grubb offense is going to feature the quarterback’s arm more though, and with so many mouths to feed, it’s difficult to know whether or not one player can get to that 1,000-yard mark.
At this point, the most obvious bet is Jam Miller. The now senior led Alabama’s running backs in carries (145), rushing yards (668), snaps (454) and starts (7) in 2024 while tying with Justice Haynes in rushing touchdowns (7). Not only that, but the former Tyler Legacy (Tyler, Tex.) standout has continued to grow this offseason. Earlier this week, Grubb had nothing but praise for how Miller has gone about his business.
“Jam Miller is the man,” Grubb said. “Love that guy. Jam’s been doing everything. I think the thing about a guy like Jam, you love older guys who don’t feel like their skill set’s complete. And what I mean by that is I think Jam, really wholeheartedly takes on, ‘There’s things that I can get better at.’ He works out extremely hard.
“He’s very diligent about his process, so he’s a good leader in the room.”
I recently wrote about what Alabama’s carry distribution could look like amongst the running backs, and in that article, I predicted that Miller would see anywhere between 14-15 carries per game. He averaged 11.2 carries a season ago, so 3-4 more per game isn’t a reach, especially with Jalen Milroe’s team-leading 168 carries now gone.
In total, that gives Miller somewhere between 168-180 carries in just the 12-game regular season. If he only averaged the same yards per carry as he did last year (4.61), that workload would give him between 775-830 rushing yards in the regular season alone. Plus, Alabama should at least be in the mix to play 13 games with a chance to play closer to 15-16.
If that number lands somewhere on the higher end, a 1,000-yard season feels well within reach for Miller. If not, he’d need something to give elsewhere. But here’s the thing, I don’t think he’s going to average only 4.61 yards per carry. Alabama’s offense in 2025 should bring more of a balanced, diverse approach with its run game. And with the passing game becoming more of a focal point for opposing defenses, the efficiency should be there on the ground.
For example, think back to 2018 or 2020.
Tua Tagovailoa was one of college football’s most prolific passers in 2018. Did that hold back Alabama’s running backs? Not at all. Sure, there wasn’t a 1,000-yard rusher, but that was due to three different backs getting 117 or more carries. The efficiency was there for all of them though. Najee Harris finished with a whopping 6.69 yards per carry while Damien Harris (5.84) and Josh Jacobs (5.33) both remained in an elite range too.
What about two years later in 2020? Mac Jones finished that year in the top 3 nationally in yards per attempt, passing yards per game and passing touchdowns. Did that hurt Najee Harris? Absolutely not. In fact, he posted close to 1,500 yards and 26 scores because he was wasn’t really sharing the workload as much with two other players. More importantly, he averaged 5.84 yards. A lot of that had to do with his own talent, but the run game was also more efficient due to a lethal passing attack that took attention away from the ground game.
I can see something similar for Miller and the other running backs in 2025. If he can even manage to average five yards while getting 168-180 carries in the regular season, he’ll already be sitting somewhere between 840-900 yards on the ground with postseason play still to go. That’d put him within striking distance of topping the 1,000-yard mark. And anything over that five yards would only get him closer.
So what’s my point here? Well, I think Miller is going to share backfield responsibilities to an extent with at least two other players (some combination of Daniel Hill, Richard Young and Dre Washington). I can see at least one of those other guys topping 100 carries too, but I still think there’s a path to a 1,000-yard season for Miller. He just has to be efficient with his opportunities, and Alabama needs to play as many games as possible.
