Najee Harris Will Return to Alabama for Senior Season

The junior running back will return to Alabama in 2020

Alabama Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — After weeks of speculation, Alabama junior running back Najee Harris will return for his senior season with the Crimson Tide.

The news was first reported by BamaOnline.

Harris has not officially made his decision public, but a post on his Instagram story late Wednesday afternoon seemingly confirmed his decision, sharing a post from sophomore quarterback Mac Jones:

In his three-year tenure at Alabama, Harris has accounted for 2,377 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground. While primarily used as a power back, Harris has also been adept as a pass-catcher, totaling 356 yards and seven receiving touchdowns.

Keep in mind that for the first two years of his career at Alabama, Harris was playing second fiddle behind the likes of Bo Scarbrough, Damien Harris and Josh Jacobs.

Harris was a staple on the ground in the Crimson Tide’s most recent matchup against Michigan in the Citrus Bowl, Harris ran for 136 yards on 24 carries and reached the end zone twice in Alabama’s 35-16 victory.

Despite having a great year for Alabama, Harris reportedly received a third-round draft grade, which allegedly played a large part in why the junior decided to return to Tuscaloosa.

Harris currently sits just 1,214 yards behind former Alabama back Derrick Henry as Alabama's all-time leading rusher with 2,377 yard for his career. Henry finished his tenure at Alabama with 3,591 yards.

In addition to Harris, the Crimson Tide has several solid running backs lined up behind him. Chiefly among these backs are junior Brian Robinson, Jr., and Trey Sanders.

Robinson, while forced to split carries with fellow Crimson Tide backs during his career at Alabama, has established himself as the primary backup in Tuscaloosa. In his 2019 campaign, Robinson rushed for 441 yards and five touchdowns, which are no small numbers when you take into account that Robinson received less than half of the carries Harris did over the course of the season.

Sanders suffered a foot injury that required surgery in Alabama’s preseason camp back in August and did not see any action in 2019. Sanders will be a strong contender for the No. 1 back, though, should the former five-star out of IMG Academy in Florida be able to impress in college as much as he did in high school.