Alabama expecting to get back key offensive starter before a Week 5 showdown on the road against an emerging rival

Jam Miller is easily Alabama's top running back on the roster. If we've said it once, we've said it 100 times already, but it's worth repeating. Unfortunately, the Crimson Tide will be without its returning starter due to a dislocated collarbone bone that he suffered during the team's second and final scrimmage of fall camp.

Was it a devastating blow to Alabama's offense? In some ways, maybe. But with that being said, we still believe in some of the other options at running back, especially with us expecting more of a committee approach with Richard Young, Daniel Hill and Louisiana transfe r Dre Washington. The question then becomes, when is Miller able to return?

Well, Chris Low with ESPN recently sat down with Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, and he seems to be confident that the fourth-year senior will be able to return by SEC play, which had been the previously suggested target date.

“He’s a leader for us, a quiet leader, but somebody the players all respect,” DeBoer told Low while discussing Miller. “Having that bye week, I feel good that he will be back out there. He does so many things for us at that position.”

So, Alabama takes the field one week from today against Florida State in a road season opener. From there, it's home matchups against Louisiana-Monroe in Week 2 and Wisconsin in Week 3 before the Crimson Tide have their first of two bye weeks. Following that bye week, DeBoer and company will travel to Athens to take on the Georgia Bulldogs, so that would be an ideal time for Miller to return.

Miller brings an intriguing skillset to the table. He's added bulk and muscle, getting up to 221 pounds on his 5-foot-10 frame, but he still brings that homerun hitting ability with his background as a former track star. Not only that, but the former Tyler Legacy (Tyler, Tex.) standout is also a standout in the passing game, whether that be in pass protection, a receiver out of the backfield or as a guy you can split out wide and put in motion.

In his absence, Alabama will need to rely on the combination of Young, Hill and Washington. None of these guys have done anything to separate themselves from the rest of the pack yet, but they all have the talent to be effective SEC running backs. We're assuming that you're going to see all of them against Florida State, and how the touches are divvied out could be dictated based on how they're performing with their equal-split opportunities.

We'll see.