Alvin Kamara's Return to Alabama Promises to Be Emotional on Many Levels

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — This isn’t the way it was supposed to happen.

Sure, former University of Alabama running back Alvin Kamara was looking forward to finally playing a game in Bryant-Denny Stadium, but not like this. Not with his former teammates and himself mourning the loss of a friend.

Kamara has been trying to treat this week like it was any other, even though it clearly isn't, but that became impossible after the death of Altee Tenpenny, one the running backs he practiced alongside for a year.

When asked about his former Crimson Tide colleague who died in a car accident on Tuesday, Kamara teared up.

"What was so sad is I talked to him actually yesterday," Kamara told reporters in Knoxville on Wednesday. "Just to wake up and get that news was heartbreaking. I know those guys over there are hurting, but it hurts me a lot, but I know he's resting easy now."

Regardless of the outcome, Saturday’s game against Tennessee figures to be an emotional one on many levels. The Volunteers are desperate for a big win while the No. 8 Crimson Tide can’t afford another loss in their pursuit of both the Southeastern Conference and national titles, and now a lot of the key participants are also dealing with a tragedy.

That’s all on top of it being the “Third Saturday in October” rivalry. It’s a lot for anyone to take in.

"Guys have been asking me about the mood over there or, more specifically, about certain guys, matchup-wise, kind of the demeanor of those guys as far as playing," Kamara said. "So, I've been kind of an insider, being able to give [Tennessee] some information about them. It comes down to Saturday, we've got to keep having great practices and put it on the field on Saturday."

Alabama is all too familiar with facing former teammates, including former Auburn running back Corey Grant—who is now one of T.J. Yeldon’s backups and a kick returner with the Jacksonville Jaguars but was placed on injured reserve this week due to a hip flexor tear—and tight end Corey McCarron at Middle Tennessee earlier this season.

Year	Rushing	Receiving	Kick returns
2013	4-28	1-(-2)	0-0
2014	4-34 1 TD	3-14	3-70

Kamara was part of Alabama's 2013 recruiting class that was hailed by many as the nation’s best. It was especially notable for its additions in the backfield. Due to depleted numbers at the position, the Crimson Tide added four top recruits: Derrick Henry, Kamara, Tenpenny and Tyren Jones.

“When he was here he was cool,” said junior defensive end Jonathan Allen, who was also in that class. “Great guy to be around, great team player. I love the guy.”

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The idea was that they would push each other only it didn’t quite work out that way. While Kamara redshirted, the others all played as freshmen, and it was Henry who established himself behind Yeldon on the depth chart during bowl practices.

One of the bright spots in the Sugar Bowl loss to Oklahoma, Henry had 100 rushing yards on eight carries and took his first reception for a 61-yard touchdown. The others either had to be patient and wait their turns or look elsewhere.

Some off-the-field factors came into play as well. Tenpenny transferred (initially to UNLV then to Nicholls State this season), Jones was eventually dismissed from his scholarship and Kamara spent a season at the “Hutch”—Hutchinson Community College in Kansas—before making his SEC return with Tennessee.

“There was no question about the fact that he was an outstanding player,” Saban said. “What happened here was he was doing extremely well for us and was probably going to play as a freshman, and he got his knee scoped and missed three or four weeks and really couldn't catch up. He was really frustrated with the fact that he wasn't playing, and it was difficult for him at that time in his career. 

“I've seen him play this year, and he's done extremely well, and we're happy for him.”

Opponent	Rushing	Receiving	Punt returns
Bowling Green	15-144 2 TDs	2-(-1)	0-0
Oklahoma	4-4	1-5	0-0
W. Carolina	7-47 1 TD	0-0	2-56 1 TD
Florida	5-16	3-33	1-22
Arkansas	7-36	4-40	2-6
Georgia	7-8	5-31 2 TDs	0-0
Totals	45-255 3 TDs	15-108 2 TDs	5-84 1 TD

Kamara wasted no time in establishing himself with the Volunteers. As part of a dangerous backfield combination with running back Jalen Hurd and quarterback Joshua Dobbs, he’s tallied 255 rushing yards (42.5 per game), 15 receptions for 108 yards, and five punt returns for 84 yards (16.8 average).

He’s seen the end zone six times already in the same number of games for Tennessee (3-3, 1-2 SEC), and he's even completed a pass.

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

"This is a tough league, and for anyone to take a pounding as a running back play after play—and I'm not just talking about running the ball, I'm talking about pass-protection and things like that—it's tough," Tennessee offensive coordinator Mike DeBord said at a press conference on Tuesday. "Alvin has obviously come in and given us great depth at that position, great production."

Even though his future lay elsewhere, Kamara has kept in touch with a lot of his former teammates, and even more have continued to follow his career. Once the game starts he’ll just be No. 6, although senior linebacker Reggie Ragland has already said that he’ll make a point to say hello the first time they collide on the field.

“I ain’t talked to Alvin in a while,” Ragland said. “That’s my little brother. I can’t wait to see him.”

Henry said he’ll wait to “speak to him after the game.”

Name	Position-Rank	247 Ranking	Status
Reuben Foster	ILB-1	6	Starting ILB
Derrick Henry	ATH-1	12	Starting RB
Jonathan Allen	OLB-3	17	Starting DL
O.J. Howard	TE-1	19	Starting TE
Robert Foster	WR-2	23	Starting WR/Injured
A’Shawn Robinson	OT-2	34	Starting DL
Alvin Kamara	RB-1	43	Transferred
Dee Liner	DT-4	47	Transferred
Altee Tenpenny	RB-8	54	Transferred/Deceased
Grant Hill	G-2	63	Medical Leave
Tyren Jones	RB-9	67	Dismissed
Cooper Bateman	QB-4	81	Reserve/Holder
Tim Williams	WDE-2	83	Pass Rusher
Maurice Smith	CB-9	84	Reserve
ArDarius Stewart	ATH-3	87	Starting WR
Darius Page	DT-14	177	Medically Disqualified
Anthony Averett	S-24	275	Reserve
Leon Brown	OT-1 JC	20	Graduated
Eddie Jackson	ATH-14	351	Starting SS
Raheem Falkins	WR-50	364	Injured WR
Bradley Bozeman	G-27	474	Reserve
Jonathan Cook	CB-37	527	Dismissed
Brandon Hill	OT-1 PS	15	Released
Walker Jones	ILB-43	662	Reserve LB
Parker McLeod	QB-39	892	Transferred
Cole Mazza	LS-1	NA	Starting LS

Regardless, Saturday will be an exercise in containing a wide range of emotions for both Alabama (6-1, 3-1 SEC) and Kamara. From the joy of reconnecting to the shared grief they’ll feel, there will be a lot more going on than a football game played roughly three hours after Tenpenny’s funeral in Arkansas. 

"When he was here, we played against him a lot on the scout team,” linebacker Denzel Devall said, “So it's gonna be interesting to be back out there with Alvin and competing against him.

“It's gonna be fun. I'm looking forward to it."

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer. Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.