Alabama sophomore running back Najee Harris

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Following Thursday’s practice, Alabama head coach Nick Saban gave a positive injury update on the entire Crimson Tide team and sophomore tailback Najee Harris.

“We don’t have anything new to report on the injury front,” Saban said on Thursday. “Najee Harris has been doing dry-land running. He’ll do drills tomorrow for the first time at his position, so he’s making good progress. But we still have to say he’s day-to-day. With these kinds of things, we’ve just got to see how he responds and see if he has any kind of setback.”

Harris returned to the practice field Wednesday in a black, no-contact jersey and worked off to the side with head trainer Jeff Allen after sustaining a minor foot injury in the first scrimmage.

The highest-rated player in Alabama’s 2017 signing class, Harris entered last season as one of the most-anticipated freshmen on the Crimson Tide’s roster. He saw time in all 14 games, rushing 61 times for 370 yards and finished ninth in the SEC among freshmen for rushing yards, despite limited carries. He also added six receptions for 45 yards in the passing game.

But the former 5-star found himself more involved with the first-team offense late in the season and played a key in the national championship game against Georgia. He led all UA rushers with 65 yards on only six carries and recorded a career-long rush of 35 yards.

This spring, with Bo Scarbrough entering the NFL a year early, Harris found himself as the No. 2 running back behind returning starter Damien Harris, and for the second game in a row, the now-sophomore led all backs with 41 rushing yards in the A-Day Game in April. He carried his progress over into the Tide’s preseason camp before suffering the injury in Scrimmage 1.

“The biggest thing for young running backs that tends to be the toughest thing is the pass protection aspect of the position,” offensive coordinator Mike Locksley said. “I know Najee, with the intricacies that you see with the blitzes from teams and even when we practice against our guys, the one thing that I’ve seen the most improvement is his knowledge and understanding of our pass protection concepts.

“Obviously, as a runner, when you put the ball in his hands, his natural instincts are above the chart in terms of his ability. He’s a physical runner, he has great speed to finish runs. The biggest area that I’ve seen Najee improve has been in his pass protection and understanding his techniques.”

Harris and Alabama will be back on the practice field Friday, Aug. 24, at 3:40 p.m. CT.

Contact Charlie Potter by 247Sports' personal messaging or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter).

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