He has an entire country looking at him and it is very proud.
Before he played high school football at St. James (Maryland) and The Peddie School (New Jersey), John Metchie grew up in Brampton, Canada.
His brother played for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League and while he is close with all of his brothers, Metchie chose the route to the University of Alabama. As a late addition to the 2019 recruiting scene, he carried all the tools to be a wide receiver of huge potential.
After recording more than 1,300 yards rushing, 2,500 receiving yards and 42 total touchdowns at St. James, Metchie became an A-Day Game sensation as a true freshman.
He was the most valuable player for the Crimson Tide, and the exposure led to the success he’s having now.
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Despite Alabama losing Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III to the National Football League, Metchie emerged as the third starter at receiver in fall camp. He and Mac Jones trained together over the summer, and Metchie has been strong through the first six games of a conference-only schedule. The former four-star chimes in with 24 catches for 517 yards with three scores.
He is averaging 21.5 yards per catch and 86.2 yards per game. Metchie has two 100-yard performances, including a career-high 181 yards with two touchdowns on five catches versus Texas A&M. The 6-foot, 195-pounder waited for his moment and has now taken advantage of it.
With an injury to Jaylen Waddle (ankle), Metchie’s role will increase as the No. 2 receiver.
He has been added to the Fred Biletnikoff Award watch list, but he is very happy to do this for Canada.
“I feel the eyes of the country watching me, but also I feel prideful about being from Canada,” Metchie said on Wednesday. “Just being a kid from Canada and given a chance to play at Alabama, I am extremely grateful and I don’t take it for granted.”
The Tide has recruited players from various states that became great ambassadors for the program, including Derrick Henry (Florida), Damien Harris (Kentucky), Minkah Fitzpatrick (New Jersey), Tua Tagovailoa (Hawaii) and Jalen Hurts (Texas) to name a few. Metchie was the first player north of the border to sign with Alabama, and he is trying to open doors as well.
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“I just want to show kids from Canada they can do anything they put their mind to, especially if they want to play football at the highest level,” Metchie said.
When it comes to thinking about the breakthrough generation of Canadian football players in the south, which includes Chase Young (Washington Football Team), Chubba Hubbard (Oklahoma State) and Metchie, the Alabama receiver just keeps working toward a goal.
“Hopefully, one day I can look back and see I made an impact in kids from Canada and the sport for what it means over there,” Metchie said.
In terms of moving on from Waddle’s injury, Metchie said it is big for all receivers to work on fundamentals.
“Losing a guy like that, he’s pretty much irreplaceable,” Metchie said of Waddle. “He’s pretty much one of one. So, I think it’s big for everyone to kind of get back to the basics and hone their craft.”
He is getting work done over the bye week, but Metchie is looking forward to facing LSU next.
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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.
