Bama Central

5x5: The Best Alabama Wide Receivers During the Nick Saban Era

Five different ways to rate the top players at each position for the Crimson Tide during the greatest dynasty in college football history.

Christopher Walsh

T.G. Paschal/BamaCentral
In this story:

Here's a great example of how much college football has changed over the last 15 years, and how well Nick Saban has adapted with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

When he took the job in 2007, only two players in program history had posted a 1,000-yard receiving season, David Palmer in 1993, with exactly 1,000 yards, and DJ Hall the previous year, 2006, with 1,056 yards. 

Heading into this fall, Hall's record-setting year is now barely in the top 10 for single-season receiving yards at Alabama. In 2019, the Crimson Tide had two receivers top 1,000 yards for the first time, DeVonta Smith with 1,256 and Jerry Jeudy with 1,163 — both won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's best receiver, but not that year. Jeudy won in 2018 and Smith in 2020 — and then another tandem did it 2021. Jameson Williams tallied 1,572 yards while John Metchie III had 1,142, when quarterback Bryce Young won the Heisman Trophy.

Which brings us to an interesting question about Crimson Tide wide receivers in the context of legacy. Even though he didn't post comparable numbers, and wasn't a first-team All-American, which will keep him from consideration from the College Football Hall of Fame, for years most Alabama fans considered Julio Jones to be the best wide receiver of the Saban era. 

What would it take to topple him from that hill? Probably a wide receiver winning the Heisman Trophy. 

For a top-five list you have to go with the Heisman winner, right? 

The Best Alabama Wide Receivers of the Nick Saban Era

Five different ways to rate the top players at each position for the Crimson Tide during the greatest dynasty in college football history.

Recruiting

The top 5 Wide receiver prospects when signing with the Crimson Tide:

  1. Julio Jones, 2008
  2. Calvin Ridley, 2015
  3. Jerry Jeudy, 2017
  4. Robert Foster, 2013
  5. Ja’Corey Brooks, 2021
Auburn cornerback Jaylin Simpson (36) and cornerback D.J. James (4) combine to bring down Alabama wide receiver Ja'Corey Brooks (7) at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports

The next five:

Aaron Anderson, 2022
Jalen Hale, 2023
Agiye Hall, 2021
JoJo Earle, 2021
Shazz Preston, 2022

... and five more after that:

Jaylen Waddle, 2018
Chris Black, 2012
DeVonta Smith 2017
Christian Leary, 2021
Amari Cooper, 2012

Key Statistics

Receptions (season)

  1. Amari Cooper 2014, 124
  2. DeVonta Smith 2020, 117
  3. John Metchie III 2021, 96
  4. Calvin Ridley 2015, 89
  5. Jameson Williams 2021, 79

Receptions (career)

  1. DeVonta Smith 2017-20, 235
  2. Amari Cooper 2012-14, 228
  3. Calvin Ridley 2015-17, 224
  4. Julio Jones 2008-10, 179
  5. Jerry Jeudy 2017-19 1, 159

Note: DJ Hall had 194 career receptions for 2,923 yards, but played only one season for Saban

Receiving yards (season)

  1. DeVonta Smith, 2020, 1,868
  2. Amari Cooper, 2014, 1,727
  3. Jameson Williams, 2021, 1,572
  4. Jerry Jeudy, 2018, 1,256
  5. DeVonta Smith, 2019, 1,256

Receiving yards (career)

  1. DeVonta Smith 2017-20, 3,965
  2. Amari Cooper 2012-14, 3,463
  3. Calvin Ridley 2015-17, 2,781
  4. Jerry Jeudy 2017-19, 2,742
  5. Julio Jones 2008-10 2,653

Note: John Metchie III also topped 2,000 yards with 2,081 from 2019-21

Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley against Tennessee
T.G. Paschal/Bama Central

Receiving TDs (season)

  1. DeVonta Smith 2020, 23
  2. Amari Cooper 2014 16
  3. Jameson Williams 2021, 15
  4. Jerry Jeudy 2018, 14
  5. DeVonta Smith 2019, 14

Receiving TDs (career)

  1. DeVonta Smith 2017-20 47
  2. Amari Cooper 2012-14 31
  3. Jerry Jeudy 2017-19 26
  4. Henry Ruggs III 2017-19 24
  5. Calvin Ridley 2015-17 19

Awards

Heisman Trophy

DeVonta Smith 2020

Fred Biletnikoff Award (best receiver) 

Amari Cooper 2014
Jerry Jeudy 2018
DeVonta Smith 2020

Consensus All-Americans

Amari Cooper 2014 (unanimous)
Jerry Jeudy 2018
DeVonta Smith 2020 (unanimous)

Devonta Smith wins Heisman Trophy
Alabama Athletics

Other major awards won by DeVonta Smith in 2020

  • Maxwell Award
  • Walter Camp Award
  • Paul Hornung Award (most versatile)
  • AP College Football Player of the Year
  • Sporting News College Football Player of the Year
  • SEC Offensive Player of the Year

NFL Draft

Alabama has had eight wide receivers selected in the first round during the Saban era:

  1. Amari Cooper, 2105, Oakland Raiders, fourth overall
  2. Julio Jones, 2011, Atlanta Falcons, sixth overall
  3. Jaylen Waddle, 2021, Miami Dolphins, sixth overall
  4. DeVonta Smith, 2021, Philadelphia Eagles, 10th overall
  5. Jameson Williams, 2022, Detroit Lions, 12th overall
  6. Henry Ruggs III, 2020, Las Vegas Raiders, 12th overall
  7. Jerry Jeudy, 2020, Denver Broncos, 15th overall
  8. Calvin Ridley, 2018, Atlanta Falcons, 26th overall
Amari Cooper
Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

Overall

  1. DeVonta Smith 
  2. Julio Jones
  3. Amari Cooper
  4. Jerry Jeudy 
  5. Jaylen Waddle

This is the 10th story in the 5x5 series, which will continue throughout July. Check out:

Offense

Centers
Tackles
Guards
Tight ends

Defense

Defensive ends
Interior linebackers
Safeties
Cornerbacks

Special Teams

Published
Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of BamaCentral, which first published in 2018. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004, and is the author of 26 books including Decade of Dominance, 100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Nick Saban vs. College Football, and Bama Dynasty: The Crimson Tide's Road to College Football Immortality. He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.

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