Nick Saban is fired up over future of JoJo Earle, compares freshman to Alabama great
Nick Saban pulls out the whole “coach speak” thing in certain situations, but in more informal settings and if the moment is right, the Alabama football head coach is more free-flowing with his responses.
Saban covered a wide array of issues during his weekly appearance on the “Hey Coach and the Nick Saban show” and one of the hosts mentioned true freshman JoJo Earle, the speedster wide receiver
“JoJo Earle is just a freshman, little No. 10, but I think this guy is special, he can be special,” Saban said Thursday night. “He’s also a really good returner, and 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.”
Anyone who follows Alabama or college football even occasionally knows that Saban was referring to Jaylen Waddle, who was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the first round of April’s NFL Draft.
Even though he missed time with injury, Waddle closed out his three years at Alabama with 106 catches and 2,000 yards and 17 touchdowns.
It was clear Nick Saban and Bill O’Brien were easing Earle in against Miami. He hauled in just two passes for 25 yards, but as Saban noted, the potential is just as high as any of the top speed wide receivers to come through Tuscaloosa under his reign.
Nick Saban says Jameson Williams was his top target in portal
Though Saban is taking a slow roll with Earle as he makes the transition from high school to the high-flying college competition, Jameson Williams is a much different story.
The former Ohio State receiver. has already made a big impact on Alabama’s offense. Nick Saban knew from the second he entered the transfer portal that he wanted Williams in Tuscaloosa.
Williams started for Ohio State in last year’s national championship game against Alabama. Seeing Williams up close and in action left an impression on Saban and Alabama’s staff. When he became available, Saban wanted to move quickly to bring him to the program.
“We looked for a receiver,” Saban said about going after Williams. “We looked at everybody in the portal. He started and played against us last year during the national championship game and we had a lot of respect for him from that standpoint. When he was in the portal, we looked at all the players and said, ‘no doubt, this is the best guy out there let’s try to get him.’ And we didn’t have much room because of the recruiting year we had, we could only take a guy or two. He and Henry (To’o To’o) have both been really positive additions.”
Soon enough, it looks like both Williams and Earle could emerge as yet another top wideout tandem to come out of Alabama.