Jordan Battle praises speed, talent in Alabama's WR room
Alabama has lost four first-round wide receivers over the last two years. Those losses obviously hurt, but the cupboard isn’t bare in Tuscaloosa. Quite the opposite, in fact.
The Crimson Tide has worked hard to replace the talented NFL foursome, which was reflected in the 2021 recruiting class. They signed four top 100 pass-catchers, including Agiye Hall, Jacorey Brooks, JoJo Earle and Christian Leary.
They also signed former Ohio State wide receiver Jameson Williams out of the transfer portal. Williams, along with all those other guys, will team up with talents such as John Metchie, Slade Bolden and others to alleviate some of the lost receiving production.
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On Thursday, safety Jordan Battle was asked about one player specifically: Jameson Williams. He praised the rising junior, but he also used the question as an opportunity to praise the entire receiver room.
Battle was specifically asked about the speed Williams will bring to the table. Here is his response:
“All our receivers have speed, man,” Williams told reporters. “Jameson’s a great player, Metchie’s a great player, Slade Bolden, JoJo [Earle], everybody. All our receivers are great weapons. It’s great to compete against them every day.”
If you’re an Alabama fan — or a Bryce Young, Bill O’Brien or Nick Saban — that’s music to your ears. Sure, those guys already know what sort of talent exists in the wide receiver room. But it also never hurts to hear it.
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Alabama has a tough task in Week 1 with a neutral site game against No. 14 Miami in Atlanta, Georgia. But there could be room for the passing game to have a strong day.
Yes, Young will likely make his first-career start, but the Hurricanes had an exploitable pass defense last season. Through 11 games, they allowed 233.9 passing yards per contest, ranking No. 65 in the nation.
There are playmakers on the back half of that defense, but there’s also opportunities. We’ll see if Miami enjoys going against those Alabama receivers as much as Battle has in fall camp.
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