Jam Miller injury update: Kalen DeBoer shares latest on Alabama RB, status vs. Wisconsin

Alabama RB Jam Miller has yet to appear this season after dislocating his collarbone last month during fall camp. Now, though, the Crimson Tide’s running back could possibly return to the lineup this weekend according to Kalen DeBoer.

DeBoer provided another update on Miller during his press conference on Monday morning ahead of their game this weekend against Wisconsin. He said Miller is one of several players currently labeled as day-to-day with him trying his best to be available against the Badgers on Saturday.

“Yeah, we’ve got a number of guys that are day-to-day, and he would certainly be one of them,” said DeBoer. “We’re optimistic that there could be a chance. You know, I really don’t think we’ll know until we get later in the week.”

“You saw him in pregame. He was out there doing some things, aggressively trying to continue to push forward,” DeBoer said. “You can see that with Jam. He’s chomping at the bit.”

Miller hurt that collarbone in the final scrimmage of the preseason for Alabama. He had a procedure on it that same day on August 16th, with the Tide hoping at the time that he’d only miss the non-conference portion of their schedule with their first game in league play being at Georgia on September 27th. That would mean this weekend is ahead of that schedule for Miller with ‘Bama having had positive updates on his recovery to this point. That’s also with the senior running back working out ahead of the 73-0 win for No. 21 Alabama over UL Monroe on Saturday.

Through three seasons in Tuscaloosa, Miller has 219 carries for 1,092 yards and 10 touchdowns. That’s after a career-year as their lead running back last season with 145 carries for 668 yards and seven rushing scores.

Without Miller against FSU and ULM, Alabama has used a committee in the backfield to start the season. Kevin Riley (16 carries for 100 yards), Richard Young (15 carries for 45 yards, TD), Dre Washington (7 carries for 23 yards), Daniel Hill (6 carries for 23 yards), and AK Dear (5 carries for 73 yards, TD) have all had five-plus touches at running back through their two games.

Alabama has five days until an early kickoff against Wisconsin at Bryant-Denny Stadium. They’ll determine between now and then if Miller is ready to go, or if they’ll utilize the extra rest during their first bye week to ensure he’s completely ready for their conference opener two weeks after that against the Bulldogs in Athens.

“We just got to make sure we’re making a smart decision, but that will be left up to, you know, our training staff and our doctors and also how Jam feels,” DeBoer said. “So, he’s making a lot of progress.”