Report: Najee Harris is indeed back for 2020

Charlie Potter at BamaOnline has confirmed that Najee Harris will be returning to Alabama for his senior season.

Junior running back Najee Harris will pass on the 2020 NFL Draft and return to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for his senior year, a source close to the program confirmed to BamaOnLine. Harris is not expected to make an announcement on social media like his Crimson Tide teammates.

The Antioch, Calif., native has been back in Tuscaloosa since this past weekend.

While there have been hints to this effect, this is the most reliable report yet that Najee is indeed returning, and is already working out back in Tuscaloosa. This is by far the most surprising of all the returnees, as virtually everyone was reporting that Harris was in the “gone for sure” grouping following a breakout year of over 1500 yards from scrimmage and 20 touchdowns. He apparently got a draft grade lower than he had hoped. Hopefully he also got some feedback on how to improve his stock.

Needless to say, this is huge for the 2020 team’s chances. Brian Robinson will be in a reserve role for another season, and Trey Sanders can ease in as he returns from injury. There will undoubtedly be a desire to ride Najee, but there should be plenty of rotation to keep him fresh as well.

At this point it’s tough not to be optimistic for next season, folks.

Roll Tide!