Who Could Play at Wide Receiver for Alabama Against Michigan

Due to injuries and players entering the transfer portal, the Crimson Tide will be down in numbers at wide receiver for the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Germie Bernard (5) catches a pass as Auburn Tigers take on Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. Alabama Crimson Tide defeated Auburn Tigers 28-14. / Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kalen DeBoer summed it up best after Alabama's Wednesday practice when asked about the possibility of Jaylen Mbakwe playing at wide receiver for the Crimson Tide in the ReliaQuest bowl against Michigan.

"We certainly are short there," DeBoer said about the position group.

There's good news and bad news when looking at Alabama's options at receivers for the bowl game. Good news: Jalen Milroe will have his two favorite targets, Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard, available to throw to in the game. Bad news: there are essentially only four total healthy scholarship wide receivers available.

Four Alabama receivers (Caleb Odom, Kobe Prentice, Kendrick Law and Emmanuel Henderson Jr.) entered the transfer portal in December. Prentice (Baylor) and Odom (Ole Miss) have already found new homes. Several other receivers are dealing with injuries including Jalen Hale, Cole Adams, Amari Jefferson and Bubba Hampton.

This leaves Williams, Bernard, redshirt freshman Jaren Hamilton and true freshman Rico Scott as options at receiver for the Crimson Tide in the Dec. 31 bowl game against Michigan. Williams leads the Tide with 857 yards and eight receiving touchdowns. Bernard isn't far behind with 714 yards. But that's pretty much where the experience stops.

Hamilton has only appeared in five games over his two seasons at Alabama and has not recorded a catch. Scott has four catches for 51 yards this season, including his first career touchdown in the Crimson Tide's win over Mercer. Alabama offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan said the staff is excited for the opportunity Scott is going to get in the bowl game for increased reps.

"We have a lot of trust and belief for him," Sheridan said. "He’s a player that throughout his time here even in scrimmages and other opportunities where he’s gotten out there, he’s done a real nice job. He’s made plays. He’s executed at a high level. He’s dependable. Even in the games he’s gotten into, he’s done a nice job. He’s a tough, smart, dependable young football player that I think is really excited about the opportunity."

Other than that, Sheridan kept his cards close to the chest about how Alabama plans to handle the rotations at receiver against Michigan, saying the coaches will "explore all options" with who is on the roster. Both DeBoer and Sheridan were open to the possibility of Mbakwe, who has only played defensive back for Alabama so far, playing at wide receiver in the upcoming bowl game.

"We’ll utilize all the roster, all the positions," he said. "We have plenty of good players that will be available to play in the game. So what that looks like, how we kind of deploy the personnel, we certainly wouldn’t want our opponent to know what that looks like. We’ll have plenty of good players that will play in the game, and we’ll maximize the guys that we do have.”

Even though the Crimson Tide will be limited at receiver, Alabama is also expected to have tight ends CJ Dippre, Josh Cuevas and Robbie Ouzts available for the season finale. Dippre and Cuevas finished the regular season as Alabama's third and fourth-leading receivers respectively with over 200 yards each.

Alabama is definitely looked to add a wide receiver or two from the transfer portal. However, even if a receiver commits in the coming days leading up to the bowl game, that player would not be eligible to play for the Crimson Tide against Michigan.

Despite all the portal exits and injuries on both sides of the ball, Alabama still has a lot of high-level NFL talent that will be playing in the ReliaQuest Bowl. The coaching staff may have to get a little creative at some positions, especially receiver, but it will be a good opportunity for the starters to showcase their skills against a top program and the younger players to make an impression for the future.

Read more: 2025 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Offseason Tracker: Coming and Going

Everything Alabama Football's Kalen DeBoer Said Ahead of ReliaQuest Bowl

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