He has spoken to Jaylen Waddle since his injury, but now he is prepared to play for his teammate.
Slade Bolden never wanted his opportunity to come like this; however, he is excited to show the college football world his versatility and big-play abilities at wide receiver. Regardless of him not being the caliber of player that Waddle is, Nick Saban is not placing any expectations on the redshirt sophomore. Two things Alabama fans need to know about the Louisiana native are that he is a gamer and he plays with a lot of effort.
The 5-foot-11, 191-pounder did everything at West Monroe High School and he was so dominant that he ended up winning Gatorade Player of the Year in 2017 as a senior.
In filling in for Waddle, Bolden had a strong impact on the offense versus Tennessee — catching six passes for 94 yards in a 48-17 win for the Tide at Neyland Stadium.
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He totaled receiving yards (34), rushing yards (10) and a passing touchdown in 2019 for Alabama, and the Swiss-Army knife is geared up to do even more. Once a three-star recruit in the 2018 class, Bolden patterns his game after Julian Edelman of the New England Patriots.
Edelman, like Bolden, played quarterback in high school. He was also a quarterback at Kent State University. His decision to play both ways in high school shaped Bolden for this moment.
On Monday, Saban said Bolden has the maturity and experience to help the team.
“Slade is really quick,” Saban said. “A lot of guys like Slade become very effective slot players, because they are quick out of a break. They have good initial quickness, really good hands, and very smart in terms of instincts and ability to make quick decisions. So, that fits well for him.”
Coach Saban knows Alabama cannot replace Waddle, but it can emphasize Bolden’s strengths.
“He does not need to be anybody but himself,” Saban said of Bolden. “We just want him to be the best player he can be, relative to what he can do.”
Along with playing in the slot, Bolden will also handle the punt return and kickoff return duties.
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One person who can identify with Bolden’s situation is Mac Jones. He had to replace an injured Tua Tagovailoa versus Tennessee last season and again in Alabama’s meeting with Mississippi State. Jones’ shot came at the expense of Tagovailoa sustaining a season-ending hip injury, but he took the field and got better each week. He paced the Tide’s offense to 40-plus points in matchups against Arkansas (48) and Auburn (45), while leading the team to a 35-16 win over Michigan in the Citrus Bowl.
Now, Jones is the full-time starter for Alabama and is having an incredible year. He said Bolden is the ‘most improved’ player on the team.
“It is not an easy thing to do,” Jones said of Bolden replacing Waddle. “To come in, not knowing that you are going to play a lot and Slade probably had not been playing as much as he wants to, and he came in and I told him ‘it’s a game and you are ready to roll.’ He knows he has stepped into a bigger role and I have been there before too, but it does not change. You just do your job and he’s been doing that.”
When it comes explaining something different about Bolden, Jones said he is all about making plays.
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“Slade knows what to do,” Jones said. “He knows where to line up. He’s played a lot of different positions; he’s even played defense before in spring practices. The guy knows a lot about football. If you go watch his high school highlights; I always like watching his highlights. It gets me fired up. He is super versatile.”
Before the season, a trio of DeVonta Smith, Patrick Surtain II and Jaylen Waddle all spoke highly of Bolden. He played well against Tennessee and now, he is about to turn it on.
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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.
