Jerry Jeudy's MVP performance no surprise to teammates

Junior receiver explains decision to not sit out Citrus Bowl

ORLANDO, Fla. – If it indeed was his last game in a Crimson Tide uniform, junior wide receiver Jerry Jeudy went out in style and went over 1,000 yards for the season in the process.

During Alabama’s 35-16 win over Michigan in the Citrus Bowl. Jeudy hauled in six passes for 204 yards including an 85-yard touchdown catch on his team’s first snap.

Thing is, it was a game Jeudy could have chosen to sit out as a very likely first round NFL draft pick. But that’s not how he looked at it.

“I’ve played football all my life,” Jeudy explained. “I made the decision to play with my teammates. It’s a brotherhood. It’s been that way since I started here as a freshman.

“I can’t just sit out there and be watching my team play even if I’m a first round draft pick. I wanted to go to war with my brothers. I’ve been there the whole season. I love playing football, so I just wanted to come out here and compete with my brothers.”

Wearing a team bowl t-shirt that said “Nobody Safe,” Jeudy certainly wasn’t safe for those who tried to cover him Saturday.

“It was a team effort, really,” Jeudy said. “It started with the o-line and the play-calling. We executed very well, and I did what I had to do. We just ran what was called.”

Jeudy’s teammates, to a man, weren’t surprised at all with his game MVP performance.

“That catch he made to convert that third down on that out route; that’s a really good player making a big time play in this game,” said junior tight end Miller Forristall. “There’s a lot of people that could have sat out this game. I think that just attests to the kind of teammates they are.”

“It was great, and that’s what we expect,” junior receiver DeVonta Smith said of Jeudy’s performance. “It’s always somebody, and it just happened to be him today.

“It’s been fun going out there and playing together, and just enjoying the fun that we have.”

Added sophomore defensive back Patrick Surtain II, “It was great. It was a great game. (Jeudy) showed out today, and he’s a great player.”

Senior defender Shyheim Carter has faced Jeudy in practice for three years. “He did an amazing job,” Carter said. “The wideouts: they’re special. That was a special group we had on this team this year.

“We made them better and they made us better, obviously. I tip my hat to those guys.”

Senior linebacker Anfernee Jennings said of Jeudy, “That’s him. That’s what he do. Any of those guys are capable of having games like that. That’s just what they do. That’s what they’re capable of.

“Hats off to the offense today (and) hats off to Jeudy.”