Alabama football: Keilan Robinson returning for 2021 has Tide excited

After opting out of the 2020 college season, the Alabama football program is excited about having Keilan Robinson back in the Crimson Tide’s backfield for 2021.

Replacing Najee Harris was going to be difficult anyway, but the Alabama football team is in better shape now that Keilan Robinson is returning to the gridiron after having previously opting out.

Nick Saban and his new offensive staff centered around coordinator Bill O’Brien and line coach Doug Marrone will have to lean on Robinson more than the Crimson Tide did in his freshman year. Alabama will be breaking in a new starting quarterback in Bryce Young as well this season. While the Crimson Tide have a way to go offensively, they love having Robinson back in the mix for 2021.

“He’s doing great,” said Saban on Wednesday. “He’s got great speed. He’s gotten bigger and stronger. He’s really playing fast. He’s playing really good on special teams. He’s a potential kickoff returner for us. He was before when he was a freshman, so that’s certainly a role, and he’s made great progress as a running back. He’s got pretty good carryover, knowledge and experience-wise, from the year before. I’m really pleased with what he’s been doing so far.”

The elder statesman of the Alabama running back room Brian Robinson spoke highly of Keilan Robinson, as he loves having him back in the fold in Tuscaloosa, too.

“We’re super excited to have Keilan back in the room with us,” said Robinson. “We missed him last year. He still has all of his abilities. He’s very fast. He’s picked up some weight this offseason, so he has a new look to him and we’re just excited to see what he can bring to our room returning this year with missing him last year.”

Alabama Football: Will Keilan Robinson split carries?

Though Alabama has often used a bell-cow back in the Saban era, it feels like it will be a running back by-committee approach for 2021. We are looking at both Robinsons getting carries, as well as Trey Sanders, as long as he recovers from his hip injury. While Brian Robinson is taking advantage of an extra year of eligibility, Keilan Robinson is looking at 2021 as a fresh start for him.

Because so much of the passing game from a season ago has left the program, it would not be out of the question for the Crimson Tide to be a more run-centric offense in 2021, or at least until Young gets acclimated to O’Brien’s system. With that in mind, there will be plenty of opportunities for Robinson to turn heads in his junior season and his first year back after opting out last fall.

A healthy Robinson can be the spark to help usher in a new era of the Crimson Tide offense.

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