BamaCentral 22 for '22: Which of Alabama's Five Freshmen WRs Will Post Biggest Numbers?

The Crimson Tide added another stellar receiver class this year, but who will shine the most out of the group?

Tony Tsoukalas | Jun 21, 2022

After falling one win short of adding a 19th national title last season, Alabama will look to rebound and take the next step this year. The Crimson Tide returns a loaded roster, including reigning Heisman winner Bryce Young and a rebuilt offense as well as one of the most talented defenses in the Nick Saban era.

Alabama will open its season on Sept. 3 when it hosts Utah State inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. To help pass the time, BamaCentral’s Joey Blackwell, Tony Tsoukalas and Katie Windham will discuss 22 topics and questions concerning the 2022 season.

Today we continue our series by predicting which of Alabama’s five freshmen receivers will have the biggest season this year.

Blackwell's take

As with any year in recent memory in Tuscaloosa, Alabama football is loaded with talent at wide receiver. This season, however, shows a Crimson Tide corps that is lacking experience compared to years past.

That being said, the five freshmen wide receivers that Alabama has this season all have the abilities necessary to make an impact. Aaron Anderson represents the lone five-star receiver, followed by four four-stars in Shazz Preston, Kobe Prentice, Isaiah Bond and Kendrick Law.

Both Anderson and Law possess the best opportunity to put up the biggest numbers among the freshmen this season. Anderson possesses impressive speed, but Law stands two inches taller and roughly 10 pounds heavier — with the added length giving him a slight advantage.

At A-Day, Law also had the best performance of the five freshmen. In total, he brought in four receptions for 30 yards and finished second on the White Team in targets with eight. Anderson saw six targets, but only caught two for 11 receiving yards.

I believe that Law will post the best numbers among freshmen wide receivers this season. That being said, there is a lot of experienced competition ahead of him. He likely won’t start, but expect to see his name called in late-game situations.

Tsoukalas' take

With Alabama adding two highly-prized transfer receivers in Jermaine Burton and Tyler Harell this offseaosn, it’s going to be hard for any of the incoming freshmen to break into the starting rotation. However, I’m still projecting “little Aaron Anderson” to play a big role for the Crimson Tide this season.

Nick Saban signaled out Anderson this spring, commending the 5-foot-9, 184-pound receiver for his ability to pick up yards after the catch. The former high school track star has been clocked with a 10.77 time in the 100-yard dash and has the shiftiness to scoot past defenders over the middle of the field. While Anderson wasn’t able to show off those skills much during the A-Day game, he displayed his elusiveness several times during earlier spring scrimmages, according to sources.

The New Orleans native recorded 74 receptions for 926 yards and 14 touchdowns over 12 games while going up against top competition during his senior season at Louisiana powerhouse Edna Karr High School last year. While he won’t come close to those numbers during his first year at Alabama, he could break into the second-team unit while also carving out a role on special teams.

Windham's take

Receivers like Calvin Ridley or Amari Cooper have come in to Alabama and immediately made a big impact at receiver as a freshman. But sometimes it takes guys a little longer to develop or find a place in the offense. Last season, Alabama brought in a highly-touted group of freshmen receivers in Agiye Hall, JoJo Earle, Ja’Corey Brooks and Christian Leary, but none of the four reached even 200 yards receiving on the season. Earle came on strong in the first three games, and Brooks was a major contributor down the final stretch, but no one had a breakout year.

This year is an even larger group of freshmen receivers with five. I think it’s going to be difficult for any of the five to put up huge numbers in their first season with the type of transfers Alabama brought in at the position, but an underrated pick could be Shazz Preston.

The receiver out of Louisiana did not enroll early in the spring, but has the type of athleticism and versatility to play at multiple different receiver positions. Sports Illustrated All American had Preston has 72nd overall prospect in the SI99. ESPN ranked him the third best receiver in the class of 2022. He had 65 catches for 750 yards and 10 touchdowns his senior year of high school, and even though it’s extremely unlikely he puts up those type of stats with the Crimson Tide this fall, I think he can be a solid contributor by the end of the year.

Previous Questions

Published Jun 21, 2022

TONY TSOUKALAS

Tony Tsoukalas has been covering Alabama since 2016, working for the Anniston Star and Rivals before joining BamaCentral. A native of The Woodlands, Texas, Tsoukalas attended the University of Alabama from 2008-12. He served as the sports editor of the student paper, The Crimson White, during his senior year. Before covering Alabama, Tsoukalas covered high school sports at The Meridian (Miss.) Star and the Victoria (Texas) Advocate. He also served as a copy editor for The Tuscaloosa News.

Blackwell's take

Tsoukalas' take

Windham's take

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