Alabama football may finally have its first big-bodied wide receiver to be successful since Julio Jones.
Whether it was injuries or guys not panning out for the program, the Crimson Tide has not had the best fortune of producing marquee receivers that are 6’3″ or taller to the National Football League.
Alabama recruited and signed a former five-star from Carrollton (Ga.) High School in its latest recruiting class. This 6’5″ specimen has the offensive coaching staff drooling, including wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard. He arrived in the spring to play tight end, but Bryan Ellis — the Crimson Tide’s tight ends coach — lost him to the receiver room. Ellis is not salted by it, but this kind of talent adds an extra punch at receiver.
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Caleb Odom simply looks the part.
The 227-pounder towers over everyone in routes on air passes in practice; however, his size does not take away from his route-running, speed, balance, body control, and hands. Odom is very fluid with the ball in his hands in space, in fact, he recorded one of the best receptions at Alabama’s scrimmage last week. He brought in a one-handed catch along the sideline from quarterback Jalen Milroe that had teammate and coaches watching in amazement. People are talking about Ryan Williams, another former five-star, but Odom is freakish. Nick Sheridan, Alabama’s offensive coordinator, does not say too much when it comes to players, but he had to shed light on Odom after Wednesday’s practice. He likes how the big-bodied playmaker is developing in the room.
Alabama OC Nick Sheridan says freshman WR Caleb Odom is getting better every day, but he cannot deny the talent of the former 5-star.
“Every day Caleb does something to impress you.”@TDAlabamaMag @TouchdownETP pic.twitter.com/w3nwtsXfaI
— Stephen M. Smith (@CoachingMSmith) August 14, 2024
“Every day Caleb does something to impress you,” Sheridan said.
“Every day there is something for him to improve on, and Coach Shep (JaMarcus Shephard) is pointing those things out. Every day he is out there, I know Caleb is getting coached extremely hard. There is a lot to be excited about and a lot to work on. We are excited about where Caleb is at and there is still more for him to grow and get better at. He is working on that every day.”
Emmanuel Henderson Jr., a third-year wide receiver, knows Odom’s skill set is unique.
“He is the real deal,” Henderson said about Odom. “He is a big guy, and he is going to make amazing catches. Last scrimmage, he made an amazing one-handed catch that was one of the best catches I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Odom’s frame makes him a perfect red zone and third down target.
His ability to box out defenders for 50/50 balls gives Milroe a dependable option in those moments.
We will see soon enough on how Odom will be used the most in the offense.
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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.
