Mar 6, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Jalen Milroe turns to hand the ball off to Justice Haynes during practice for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team Wednesday.

Next stop Georgia? Alabama RB Justice Haynes in portal

Alabama sophomore running back Justice Haynes entered the transfer portal and could be headed home to Georgia.

Haynes played in all 12 games as part of a timeshare with co-starter Jam Miller for the Crimson Tide in 2024 and was third on the team in rushing with 448 yards and tied for second with seven TDs.

Haynes, who is from Buford, Ga., and is the son of former NFL running back Verron Haynes, was heavily recruited by Georgia in 2022. He was the No. 1-ranked running back in the nation and the No. 2 player in the state of Georgia in 2022 based on ESPN rankings when he committed to Alabama as a five-star recruit.

He was primarily used in a special teams role and some mop-up duty in the second half as a true freshman under coach Nick Saban.

Two freshmen, redshirt Richard Young and Kevin Riley, were listed behind Haynes and Miller on the 2024 depth chart.

Before he picked the Crimson Tide in December of 2022 after multiple visits to Tuscaloosa, Haynes also visited Clemson and Georgia.

Verron Haynes played at Georgia and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL Draft.

–Field Level Media

Sep 18, 2021; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban reacts against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Four-star RB Justice Haynes chooses Alabama

Alabama picked up a commitment from four-star Class of 2023 running back Justice Haynes on Sunday.

Haynes is ranked No. 50 overall in the class by the 247Sports composite, and the No. 4 running back.

The 5-foot-10, 200-pound Haynes hails from Buford, Ga. The Crimson Tide beat out a list of other schools that included rival Georgia, Florida and Ohio State.

Making it sweeter for Alabama is the fact that Haynes’ father, Verron Haynes, played running back for Georgia. The elder Haynes was a fifth-round draft pick in 2002 and saw action in 68 NFL games for the Pittsburgh Steelers (2002-07) and Atlanta Falcons (2009).

Alabama is still building its 2023 recruiting class, which is headlined by five-star cornerbacks Tony Mitchell and Jahlil Hurley but ranks just 11th nationally on 247Sports as of Sunday night.

–Field Level Media