Bryce Young praises JoJo Earle's professionalism

In Alabama’s 48-14 Week 2 victory over Mercer, freshman wide receiver JoJo Earle and his explosiveness took center stage. Whether in the passing game or return game, the former four-star recruit was impressive this weekend, tallying seven receptions for 85 yards coupled with two punt returns for 45 yards.

Earle led all Crimson Tide receivers in Week 2, and he reeled in a 39-yard reception, the team’s second-longest catch trailing only John Metchie III’s 41-yarder. Earle was Bryce Young’s favorite target in just his second career collegiate start, as Young finished 19-of-27, throwing for 227 yards and three touchdowns.

Young on Monday commended Earle not just for his performance on the field, but also his professionalism off it.

“Really, right when [Earle] came in, he came in right before the season. He wasn’t an early enrollee, but even then he came in with a really professional mindset,” Young said. “You can always tell how someone attacks the time away, before we start practicing. He came into the first practice with a good knowledge of the playbook, you can tell he was studying and that’s something that really caught my eye and caught a lot of people’s eyes.”

Earle also caught the eyes of head coach Nick Saban — before his breakout performance on Saturday. Saban last week compared Earle to one of Alabama’s great wide receiver products in Jaylen Waddle, who was selected sixth overall in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins.

“JoJo Earle is just a freshman, little No. 10. But I think this guy is special, he can be special,” Saban said last week. “He’s also a really good returner. We’re trying to get him to be a little bit more confident back there commanding, especially in punt return, which is what he’d really be good at. He’s a little Waddle-like when it comes to that.”

Perhaps a factor of Waddle’s quick development was being able to practice against one of the nation’s best defenses, day-in and day-out. According to Young, Earle thrived in practices and scimmages against Alabama’s defense, contributing to the narrative that he could develop into one of the Crimson Tide’s next great receivers.

“When [we first got out there for practice] and [Earle got] to rep against our defense, when we started practicing he was making plays and he looked really good,” Young said. “So, JoJo is someone that we’re all really excited about. We’re excited to see how he develops.”