How Jam Miller’s absence could affect an aspect of Ty Simpson’s game

Alabama running back Jam Miller is set to miss an undetermined amount of time ahead of the 2025 season after suffering an upper-body injury during a scrimmage last Saturday.

This offseason, Miller separated himself from the pack and has been receiving the majority of the first team reps in practice. Now that an established rushing threat like Miller is sidelined, it could affect an aspect of the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback, Ty Simpson’s game.

Simpson is a player who has sat behind his share of starting quarterbacks over the years. He is finally getting his chance as a redshirt junior, and throughout fall camp, his ability to use his feet has been highlighted by the Crimson Tide’s staff.

After Saturday’s scrimmage, head coach Kalen DeBoer said he thinks Simpson’s mobility is ‘something that people will probably underestimate as we go through the year, just what his ability to make plays and keep plays alive.”‘

However, with a threat like Miller being sidelined, defenses may not be as locked in on the running back on read option plays or RPOs if the Tide’s other options out of the backfield can not be as productive as Miller was expected to be. This could lead to defenses being able to be more ready for a spontaneous quarterback run and anticipate when Simpson is going to use his legs. This applies to all of the Alabama quarterbacks, including Austin Mack and Keelon Russell.

There’s no way to really be able to tell what the rest of the Tide’s running backs will do until the season begins, but until someone else establishes themselves as a respectable threat in Miller’s absence, the quarterback run game could be sniffed out like it was at times last season.