Alabama freshman, Jaylen Mbakwe is seeking snaps at wide receiver, per ON3’s Pete Nakos as he remains in Tuscaloosa.
Jaylen Mbakwe at wide receiver in HS. 👀
— Justin Smith (@Jdsmith31Smith) December 17, 2024
Mbakwe is a former five-star athlete, who played quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back at Clay-Chalkville High School. He signed with the Tide to play cornerback and carved out a role in the Tide’s secondary as a freshman. The Alabama native announced he was entering the transfer portal Monday and news broke he was staying at Alabama on Tuesday.
Alabama is now short at wide receiver due to the portal and injuries ahead of its bowl game against Michigan and this could open the door for Mbakwe to get some snaps at wideout.
“We certainly are short there at wide receiver with injuries and some guys that enter the portal,” DeBoer said Wednesday. “It’s always been that way. We’ve been open to what he can bring to the table. I think as a freshman coming in, You’re really trying to focus on doing one thing well. This is certainly a time where we can. We can look into that, figure that out. He’s super talented.”
The Tide’s offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan was also asked about the possibility of Mbakwe playing wide receiver on Wednesday.
“I think it’s a little early to really have kind of a crystal clear vision of what that would look like, other than we know that he’s a talented kid,” Sheridan said. “He loves this place, and we’re glad that he is here and so what that looks like in the future, ultimately, the players decide what their roles look like and by what they do in practice and in the off season and those types of things.”
Mbakwe made a name for himself with his ability to be a versatile football player as a high school prospect. Can he do the same in Tuscaloosa?
