Kendrick Law, a wide receiver for the University of Alabama, crowned him early in spring practice as no longer being a tight end but now he has strongly taken to his new role.
Caleb Odom, a five-star freshman from Georgia, has made a smooth transition to wide receiver. The 6-foot-5, 215-pounder has made plays in practice and constantly draws attention from Crimson Tide offensive coaches and teammates. JaMarcus Shephard, Alabama’s co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach, is happy that Bryan Ellis allowed Odom to leave the tight end room to become a receiver. Shephard was thrilled that Odom’s family allowed him to feel comfortable choosing the Tide in recruiting.
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Shephard told reporters on Tuesday that Odom will remain a receiver for as long as he wants.
“Caleb is going to be a receiver until otherwise noted,” Shephard said.
“We are pushing the envelope with him, giving him every opportunity to be an elite receiver at the University of Alabama.”
Nick Sheridan, Alabama’s offensive coordinator, sees marquee talent in Odom. He said the potential star is a ‘sponge’ that is absorbing all information on offense. Sheridan is looking forward to seeing how Odom performs in the first scrimmage.
“Coach Shep [JaMarcus Shephard] is pouring into him,” Sheridan said about Odom. “He is getting better and better every day. When you have a young skilled player, the stamina, endurance, volume of running in practice, the effort, and the thing I would say about Caleb is he sucks it all in. We are pleased with where he is. He has work to do because he’s a young player, but we are glad he’s on our team.”
Kobe Prentice, a junior wide receiver, said Odom is challenging him for having the best routes on the team.
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“Caleb Odom has some smooth routes,” Prentice said on Tuesday.
“He’s a bigger guy so most bigger guys don’t move like that. Caleb Odom can move. He can move.”
Carrolton (Ga.) High School prepared Odom to come to college and become impactful. He made plays in practices for the Rose Bowl against Michigan and has continued since then. Odom is someone fans are excited to see dominate on A-Day.
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Stephen M. Smith is the senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
