Spring practice is over for Alabama football, but fans did see some things that caught their attention.
Kalen DeBoer has high expectations for this group in the post Nick Saban era.
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He has his eyes on a College Football Playoff National Championship, but he knows all the pieces must be in place. The Crimson Tide no longer have Jermaine Burton, Isaiah Bond, Ja’Corey Brooks, Malik Benson, and Shazz Preston as wide receivers. It also suffered a knee injury to Jalen Hale in spring practice. So how do we grade Alabama’s receiver room after spring practice? A breakdown is below on how the unit performed.
UA’s wide receiver room in 2024 spring practice
-Kobe Prentice
-Kendrick Law
-Jalen Hale
-Emmanuel Henderson Jr.
-Germie Bernard (transfer)
-Cole Adams
-Caleb Odom
-Jaren Hamilton
-Aeryn “Bubba” Hampton
Summary
The injury to Jalen Hale came at a bad time, but Alabama’s wide receiver had a good spring.
Kobe Prentice emerged as the No. 1 target in the room. The junior from Calera (Ala.) High School has the hands, routes, and explosiveness to take the top off defensive secondaries. He has the most experience in the Southeastern Conference of the group.
Germie Bernard, a transfer from Washington, has been a breath of fresh air.
He established a connection with Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson through spring practice.
Bernard’s toughness, physicality, leadership, and playmaking abilities allowed him to lead all receivers with three catches for 122 yards on A-Day. He adds much needed depth to a room that wants to return to being elite. Kendrick Law, Emmanuel Henderson, and Cole Adams all have time in the Alabama program; however, they have not been utilized much. All three made plays in the spring game, but Adams was targeted the most in the passing game. He has a chance to be good for the Tide, but Coach JaMarcus Shephard has to find ways to involve all three on offense. Caleb Odom, a five-star freshman, is a freakish athlete.
The 6-foot-5 specimen dominated in scrimmages before the spring game. He made catches on A-Day too and could be the first big-body receiver to be successful at Alabama since Julio Jones. Jaren Hamilton and Bubba Hampton, a freshman, both did well in spring practices. Prentice said Hampton has routes on him and deemed him a ‘special player’ in the years to come for the Tide.
The receiver room suffered dropped passes on A-Day, but did well in practices before the exhibition. This group will not rival rooms in the past that had Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III, DeVonta Smith, and Jaylen Waddle, but it has potential to be good.
Alabama fans are looking forward to the arrivals of Ryan “Hollywood” Williams, Amari Jefferson, and Rico Scott in the summer.
Spring Practice Grade: B+
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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.
