Former Alabama offensive weapon already making the Crimson Tide look bad following breakout game for the Michigan Wolverines
A ghost of Alabama football past has been missed
There were a lot of high expectations for the Alabama Crimson Tide heading into the 2025 college football season under head coach Kalen DeBoer. Now in his second year, we heard all offseason about the improved culture, and expectations were set high. That didn’t come to fruition against Florida State in the season opener, losing 31 to 17.
During that contest, the Crimson Tide struggled to run the football consistently on the offensive side of the football. As a team, they were able to rush for just 87 total yards on 29 carries. That’s an average of 3.0 yards per carry, which is obviously a major issue.
The offense was dealt a difficult blow a couple of weeks ago when it was announced that Jam Miller was going to miss part of the season with a shoulder injury. Miller isn’t expected to be gone long, projected to be back for the SEC opener. Having Miller would have been big for this struggling offense, especially after losing Justice Haynes to the transfer portal.
After two years of pedestrian production, and limited opportunities, Haynes opted for the Michigan Wolverines this offseason. Once considered a top recruit back in the 2023 class, the Georgia native managed to rush for just 616 yards and nine touchdowns in two years in Tuscaloosa. The usage for Haynes was always a bit odd, always seeming to pop on film whenever he did get his chances.
Haynes finally had the opportunity to be the lead back over the weekend, now suiting up for the Wolverines. In the team’s 34 to 17 victory over New Mexico on Saturday, Haynes was the main catalyst. The 5-11, 210-pound runner exploded for 159 yards and three touchdowns. He did so on only 16 carries, just shy of 10 yards per carry.
Justice Haynes finally hits his ceiling
Haynes looked incredibly explosive during that contest, but that isn’t a new story. His overall athleticism and movement skills have always been there. The ability that he has to get up to top speed is a truly special, and pretty unique trait in his arsenal. Athletically, Haynes has always had it all.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Haynes’ game was how decisive he was, while also showing a higher level of patience and vision. The subtle nuances to the game were always what folks in Tuscaloosa were waiting for, but he never seemed to quite tap into his overall potential. We saw a lot of that ceiling during his debut in the maize and blue.
You never want to second-guess decisions, but it probably wasn’t the best feeling for Alabama fans to see Haynes have that type of breakout performance. That is especially true as you are seeing your team struggle so much to run the football, and establish a presence on the ground. Perhaps nothing would have changed the outcome if Haynes were on the field, but you have to think it would have certainly increased the chances while watching quarterback Ty Simpson have to throw the football over 40 times.
As they say, another man’s trash is another man’s treasure. In this case, Haynes may have just been the other man’s underutilized toy that is finally getting a chance to excel.
Alabama Crimson Tide News
Nick Saban gives honest admission on how he feels about Ty Simpson ahead of the quarterback’s first career start against Florida State
On Friday, the former Alabama coach was asked to give his assessment of quarterback Ty Simpson ahead of the Crimson Tide’s matchup against Florida State.
