This is setting up to be a huge week for Jase McClellan.
After credible sources told yours truly of Touchdown Alabama Magazine about him emerging as the No. 3 option at running back throughout practice on last week, DJ Dale (defensive lineman) and Miller Forristall (tight end) both spoke on the talented true freshman during Monday’s player interviews. McClellan, a native of Aledo, Texas, flipped to the University of Alabama late in the recruiting cycle for this year after being a pledge to the Oklahoma Sooners for almost two years.
RELATED: SOURCES: Alabama’s Jase McClellan has emerged as third option at running back
The 5-foot-11, 212-pounder has the breakaway speed that no one else carries at the position.
In his four years at Aledo High School, McClellan totaled 1,000-plus yards rushing in each season.
He finished his career with 6,468 yards and 122 touchdowns on 842 carries. When it comes to versatility, he caught 28 passes as a receiver for 429 yards with three scores. McClellan, a four-star, led the program to a Texas 6A Division 2 state championship as a freshman.
He has served on special teams through six games for the Crimson Tide, but he is ready for more versus Kentucky.
According to Dale, the sophomore defensive tackle said McClellan has ‘stepped up’ and he ‘looks like the older guys’ with the way he plays.
As for Forristall, the redshirt senior said the freshman carries a trait that resembles Josh Jacobs.
“Jase McClellan runs hard,” Forristall said. “That’s the first thing that will jump out to people about him. I love the way he practices and how he finishes plays. He has really stepped up.”
Jacobs, a native of Tulsa, Okla., arrived late onto the 2016 recruiting scene.
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The Sooners came calling, but he chose the Crimson Tide. A former three-star, Jacobs got his first opportunity that year against Kentucky at Bryant-Denny Stadium. With the duo of Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough nursing bumps and bruises, Nick Saban started the freshman and Jacobs won the crowd over. He totaled 100 yards rushing on 16 carries with one touchdown, while catching three passes for 44 yards. Alabama got a 34-6 win over the Wildcats, and Jacobs was awarded Offensive Player of the Week (Tide’s coaching staff) and SEC Freshman of the Week for his performance.
He went on to become a fan favorite, a national champion and a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
McClellan is in the same situation.
Brian Robinson was banged up prior to the matchup with Mississippi State and with Trey Sanders out indefinitely, the freshman is looking at getting more than just No. 3 carries at running back.
Saban typically recruits studs at that position, and McClellan is prepared to prove he is right.
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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.
