He was one of the nation’s top wide receiver prospects in the 2017 recruiting cycle, but that does not mean Jerry Jeudy comes without a work ethic. The five-star and Florida native eyes a chance to be the next superstar and first-round draft pick, falling behind Julio Jones, Amari Cooper and possibly Calvin Ridley at the University of Alabama, should he have a breakout sophomore year.
Jeudy, Ridley’s teammate at Monarch High School before transferring to Deerfield Beach, was the most valuable player during the Crimson Tide’s A-Day game in 2017 and followed the performance with some huge moments during the season. He finished second on the team in receiving, totaling 264 yards and two scores on 14 catches with an average of 19 yards per reception.
His 20-yard reception from Tua Tagovailoa in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game came in a critical moment in the second half, allowing Alabama to earn a 26-23 overtime victory over Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
With Ridley moving to the National Football League, Jeudy emerges as the Tide’s primary weapon heading into spring practice. Josh Gattis, the Tide’s newly-hired wide receivers coach, has taken interest in the 6-foot-1 speedster and after seeing a video of him going through footwork drills in the sand over spring break, Gattis is very excited about what the 2018 season could hold.
https://twitter.com/SleeperAthletes/status/974461989144682497
And it will pay off for @jerryjeudy you better believe it! Can’t get a return on anything you don’t invest in! #RollTide https://t.co/HiPf1zDMrm
— Josh Gattis (@Coach_Gattis) March 16, 2018
Prior to coming to Tuscaloosa, Gattis was the receivers coach and passing game coordinator at Penn State University. He mentored Trace McSorley into being a two-time 3,000-yard passer, while guiding Chris Godwin to a 1,000-yard sophomore season at receiver (1,101) in 2015.
Both Godwin and former Vanderbilt standout Jordan Matthews were good, however, coaching Jeudy at Alabama should provide much excitement for Gattis. Spring practice starts next week.
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
