Alabama football has added a veteran piece for its running back room ahead of the 2025 season.
Dre’lyn Washington, a Louisiana redshirt junior running back, told On3 on Monday he would transfer to Alabama for his final season of eligibility.
Washington is the ninth player to join the Crimson Tide via the transfer portal along with Miami wide receiver Isaiah Horton, Florida defensive end Kelby Collins, Utah cornerback Cameron Calhoun, Texas A&M offensive lineman Kam Dewberry, Colorado linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green, Cal long snapper David Bird, Ball State offensive tackle Arkel Anugwom, Colorado School of Mines punter Blake Doud and Weber State tight end Peter Knudson, who also committed to the Tide Monday, via the portal.
What Alabama football gets in Louisiana RB Dre’lyn Washington
A former three-star back out of Hemphill, Texas, Washington has always been a weapon in a stable of running backs for Louisiana.
He had a career-high 92 carries for 515 yards rushing in 2023 behind Jacob Kibodi. And as the leading returning rusher for the Ragin’ Cajuns in 2024, he was behind both Elijah Davis and Zylan Perry with 73 carries for 478 yards and a career-high five touchdowns.
Washington, a 5-foot-9, 210-pound back, had a 123-yard and two-touchdown performance against Arkansas State.
Alabama football depth chart: Where does Dre’lyn Washington fit?
Alabama lost a key piece of its running back room to the transfer portal in Justice Haynes.
With Haynes’ departure, Jam Miller was set to headline the Crimson Tide running back room in 2025, a back who ended the season with five straight games averaging less than 4 yards per rush and no touchdowns. While Richard Young is expected to be the main running back option behind Miller, no other running backs in the room have ample experience.
Washington would give Alabama another piece to compete for reps at running back, a position he was familiar with in 2024 with Louisiana where he was one of three backs to average more than 40 yards rushing per game.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Dre’lyn Washington, Louisiana running back, transfers to Alabama football
