Alabama is down one more running back. Freshman Ronnie Clark will miss the rest of the 2014 season after tearing his Achilles tendon during practice on Tuesday. Head coach Nick Saban announced the injury Wednesday.
The cruel twist of irony with this injury is Clark was a safety for the Crimson Tide who had been moved to practicing with the running backs to help fill some depth concerns at the position. Alabama recently lost Kenyan Drake for the season with a broken leg, leaving Alabama with some suddenly shallow depth behind T.J. Yeldon.
An Achilles tendon injury can be difficult to come back from, especially for an athlete that needs to be quick on his or her feet. Running backs in particular have the most challenging path to recovery given how much they need to rely on planting their feet and shifting directions. Of course, every player heals differently.
Not all that long ago Alabama’s running back position was as deep as any team could only dream. Now the Crimson Tide are starting to have some serious concerns moving forward into the thick of the SEC conference schedule. Alabama’s offense has already become criticized for not meeting the expectations of fans, and some media, which has caught the ire of Saban.