By outreach@cw.ua.edu (Matthew Speakman)
It didn’t take freshman wide receiver Jerry Jeudy long to turn heads at Alabama. As an early enrollee, Jeudy put on a monster performance in Alabama’s A-Day game with five catches, 134 yards and two touchdowns. Jeudy, who happens to be the protege of junior standout Calvin Ridley, is one of the recruits Alabama fans are most excited about this season.
Jeudy may have fans foaming at the mouth, but he isn’t the only freshman wide receiver who is impressing. This summer, the Crimson Tide added Henry Ruggs and DeVonta Smith. Both players have already posed a challenge in practice for Alabama defensive backs because of their speed.
“Fast, both have been real fast,” said safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. “I cover them every day, and I think they pose a real challenge. They’re quick, they’re fast, explosive down the field and they come in and out of their breaks like lightning. So, just covering them is getting me a lot better.”
Both players were four-star recruits coming out of high school, with Smith ranking as the No. 9 wide receiver in the class and Ruggs as the No. 11 wide receiver. Both have sleek frames and use their speed to their advantage. Smith stands at 6-foot-1, 165 pounds, while Ruggs is 6-feet, 175 pounds.
Ruggs has already impressed Ridley with his play since he joined the team in May.
“I’ve seen a lot from him,” Said Ridley. “He’s getting better, learning the system, learning how things go at Alabama. How to compete and to compete at a high level.”
Alabama needed talent to come in over the off season at wide receiver with ArDarius Stewart and Gehrig Dieter heading to the NFL Draft. The Crimson Tide also lost TJ Simmons, who announced he was transferring to West Virginia.
Ruggs and Smith join Jeudy and fellow freshman Tyrell Shavers in this talented freshman receiver class. With so much young talent, Ridley had to step up and be the vocal leader to get the freshman on the right track.
“Our guys in my group, they really buy in and do the things they need to do,” Ridley said. “There were a couple of guys who liked to sleep in the meetings, so I had to get on them a little bit, but not too much.”
As the summer progresses and the receiver continue to work, Alabama will need the young guys at this position to continue to turn heads. Ridley is of course the standout, but adding these dynamic freshman talents to the mix could make the Crimson Tide dangerous on the outside.
For Ridley, he’s liked what he’s seen out of the group as a whole so far.
“We’ve got a lot of guys in the receiver room who can help us this year, and everybody’s working real hard,” he said.
Source:: The Crimson White Sports
