Nick Saban evaluates play, maturation of wide receiver Agiye Hall

Alabama true freshman Agiye Hall had an up-and-down first year as a wideout in Tuscaloosa, but it ended on an individual high note.

He played in Alabama’s first two games, got a little bit of playing time in October, and then did not see the field again for nearly a month until the New Mexico State game on Nov. 13. After that, Hall did not earn snaps until the College Football Playoff semifinal game against Cincinnati.

During Monday’s national championship loss to Georgia, however, Hall was called upon to step up after star wideout Jameson Williams left the game with what was ultimately a torn ACL.

After the game, Tide head coach Nick Saban addressed Hall’s inconsistent playing time and what made him put the true freshman back out on the field on the biggest stage when Alabama needed a receiver.

“He’s improved in practice in terms of gaining some confidence in what to do, how to do it,” Saban said. “And all players have to make an investment in their development.

“We have a responsibility and obligation to play the best players, but we also have a responsibility and obligation not to put players on the field who are not going to be productive because they don’t know what to do, or not confident in how to do it and why it’s important to do it that way. That’s all part of a young player’s development.”

There was a fair amount of young player development going on at Alabama this year, as the offense lost eight starters, including wide receiver and Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith. It took a little while, but eventually young players like Hall got the hang of things.

“In the last, I don’t know, all these bowl practices, starting with the SEC Championship game, Agiye has started to develop confidence, and he has a lot of ability,” Saban added. “And he started to develop confidence in knowing what to do, knowing how to do it, knowing why it’s important to do it that way.”

Hall clearly gained the approval of the coaching staff as the season went on, earning that national championship playing time and catching two balls for 52 yards. He had previously caught two balls for 20 yards all season over the five aforementioned games.

It is evident Hall also earned the respect of his quarterback, Bryce Young, as Young targeted him seven times in the national championship. The freshman did have one bad drop, but he was otherwise pretty good on the big stage.

Hall was a four-star recruit according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. On3 listed him as a five-star prospect, and he was the No. 4 wide receiver in the 2021 class and the No. 10 overall player out of the state of Florida.