Even with the restrictions the offseason has presented Alabama’s training staff, Matt Rhea and David Ballou are continuing to make big strides with their players.
Alabama has entered its next phase of offseason work as they prepare for whatever season lies ahead of them.
There are members of the Crimson Tide who have taken complete advantage of their offseason training and one of those players is freshman wide receiver Javon Baker.
I told him I’d do him a solid after he had the fastest speed of the day yesterday. WR @javondbaker7 pronounced JAY-von. And yes, he’s fast. ⚡️
— Matt Rhea, PhD (@MattRheaPhD) July 17, 2020
The four star recruit out of Powder Springs, GA, enrolled back in June and has been apart of all of Alabama’s adjusted offseason workouts.
Although he is not as outspoken as other players, he is making noise in the weight room and has obviously caught the attention of his coaches.
The improved speed aspect of Baker’s game is something that will make him an even scarier prospect for Alabama’s offense. Baker’s top traits were his great hands and ball skills which is what helped catch Alabama’s attention.
One of the only knocks on his game was a lack of elite speed, but if what Rhea is saying if true and Baker is continuing to build on it then he will have an opportunity to get into the mix on offense this season.
This kind of work ethic seen from Baker shouldn’t come as a surprise as his wide receiver coach TJ Brown raved about the receiver to Touchdown Alabama’s scouting and recruiting analyst Justin Smith back in May.
“What a lot of people do not know is that Javon’s biggest asset is his work ethic,” said Brown. “For him to be a kid of his caliber with all the attention that comes his way, he really does not care too much about that. He just continues to work. If we workout today, he will call begging me tomorrow to do it again. He strives for perfection and wants to be great at everything. If he messes up on a route, he is going to do it five or six times until he gets it right. ”
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
