Freshman WR Emerging Into Bigger Role with Alabama Offense
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A third of the way through the regular season, players are starting to settle into their roles on offense for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Jalen Milroe has cemented his job as the starting quarterback. Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams are clearly the top-two running backs Alabama plans on utilizing, and the offensive line is continuing to take shape, (but may see some changes in Week 5 because of injuries.)
Jermaine Burton and Isaiah Bond have been the top two receivers for the Tide through four games, plus Alabama has seen more intergration of tight ends under Tommy Rees with Amari Niblack, CJ Dippre and Robbie Ouzts.
However, in Alabama's win over Ole Miss it was a player some might be less familiar with that sparked the second-half turnaround and finally got Alabama in the end zone.
Freshman wide receiver Jalen Hale caught a 33-yard dart from Milroe in the back of the end zone to score his first career touchdown. It was his second catch of 30+ yards in the game.
Every Alabama signing class is flush with talent, but Hale was the highest-rated receiver in the Tide's 2023 class and has seen an increased role in the Alabama offense over the last two weeks. He made his first career catch in the closing minutes of the season-opening victory over Middle Tennessee, but didn't really see playing time in that game until the starters were taken out.
Even though he didn't record a catch in the game, the young receiver started to see more first-team reps in the win at USF before playing 19 snaps against Ole Miss, coming up with two key catches, including the touchdown that gave Alabama its first two-score lead.
"He did a good job, made some big plays," Saban said. "I think the big thing with Jalen being a young player is, you’ve got to know what to do on every play so you can go play fast and do your job. So we need to work hard with him to try to get him to where he needs to be and make sure that he’s out there playing with confidence and a good understanding of the overall system of what we’re trying to get done on each and every play."
Hale's larger role is not a surprise to his older teammates. Senior defensive back Malachi Moore first started noticing Hale over the summer.
"He’s been coming along very well,” Moore said. “I’m excited for him. I think he’s gonna be a great player for us.”
On the season, Hale has 3 catches for 68 yards and a touchdown. His work ethic was a consistent refrain from teammates when describing Hale. It has stood out to both Kool-Aid McKinstry and Milroe.
"Jalen Hale has had a great offseason since he's been here," Milroe said. "I think the biggest thing from Jalen is how hungry he's been. And then just trying to get better. For all of us, just trying to get one percent better. Jalen Hale has done a great job for us. He's a great component for our offense, and I'm looking forward to see what else he can do for our offense."
He could have a big day for the Tide offense this weekend. Alabama travels to Mississippi State this Saturday for its first SEC road game of the season. The Bulldogs have one of the worst passing defenses in the, allowing 280 yards per game through the air.
In its first two SEC games, the Bulldog defense has allowed the opposing to starting quarterbacks to complete 48 of 54 passes (an 89% completion percentage.) Milroe has a lot of weapons at his disposal, and the Crimson Tide offensive players have talked about being more balanced on offense, but this weekend's matchup figures to be a good opportunity for the passing game and receivers like Hale.
