The wait for Alabama football will soon be over as the Crimson Tide announced it will begin its fall camp on Aug. 6. The Tide will hold 23 practices as well as two closed scrimmages as it gears up for its season-opener against Miami on Sept. 4 inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The next month will be pivotal in determining how Alabama lines up this season. Before the Tide breaks for camp, BamaInsider will examine each position group by taking a look at two key storylines. Today we continue the series with the tight ends and wide receivers.
The rumblings are beginning to build when it comes to Alabama’s newest receiver. The Tide took advantage of the NCAA’s new transfer policy, nabbing Ohio State wideout Jameson Williams from the transfer portal in May. Two months later, the speedy receiver is already making a name for himself in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Williams’ contributions this offseason have come behind closed doors. Although, according to sources close to the program, Tide fans are in for a treat this fall. One source recently described the 6-foot-2, 188-pound receiver as a “bigger version of DeVonta Smith.” Last week, Nick Saban only added to the anticipation when he confirmed that Williams “has been very impressive with us this summer.”
“We felt like we needed somebody who had juice and speed at receiver to complement the players that we have, and some experience because we lost four first-round draft picks in the last two years at that position,” Saban said during SEC Media Days. “And he certainly has not disappointed us in how he’s handled those elements to our offense, especially what we’ve seen this summer.”
Williams’ ability to stretch the field vertically with his speed is especially important given the departure of Smith and fellow first-round pick Jaylen Waddle. While returning starters John Metchie III and Slade Bolden figure to be reliable options, neither has the game-changing gear the Tide has relied on from its receivers in recent years. Even when he isn’t chasing down deep balls from quarterback Bryce Young, Williams’ big-play potential should keep defenses honest and open up the offense for Alabama’s other options.
Last week Alabama celebrated Jahleel Billingsley’s inclusion on the preseason Mackey Award watch list with a Twitter post that read “Don’t sleep on 19.” By now, any Tide fans still asleep to the tight end’s potential need to be checked for a pulse.
Billingsley burst onto the scene late last season, tallying 18 receptions for 287 yards and three touchdowns despite failing to record a catch in Alabama's first four games. The 6-foot-4, 230-pounder had his coming out party against Kentucky as he hauled in three catches for 78 yards, hurdling Wildcats cornerback Kelvin Joseph in the process.
“Jahleel is a special player. He’s not an ordinary tight end,” former Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II said last season. “He’s a tight end who is capable of doing many things out in the perimeter. He has a tremendous catch radius and he’s also fast for a tight end. He brings many traits to the table.”
According to Pro Football Focus, Billingsley boasted the highest catch percentage among tight ends who were targeted at least 15 times last season, hauling in 17 of 18 (94.7%) balls thrown his way. While such percentages are bound to drop with larger sample sizes, that’s almost a 30% better reception rate than than reigning Mackey Award winner Kyle Pitts, who caught 43 of 65 (66.2%) of his targets last season.
Billingsley’s targets figure to increase as he leads a tight end unit that lost Miller Forristall and Carl Tucker this offseason. He could also capitalize from a change of guard at receiver following the departures of Smith and Waddle. If Billingsley can maintain anywhere close to last year’s reception rate, he should emerge as one of the nation’s top tight ends.
Alabama has received modest production from the tight end position the past two seasons but has produced a pair of NFL draft picks in Irv Smith Jr. and O.J. Howard in the past five years. The Tide has yet to yield a Mackey Award winner since the honor was first handed out in 2000. Billingsley will do his best to change that this season.
The next month will be pivotal in determining how Alabama lines up this season. Before the Tide breaks for camp, BamaInsider will examine each position group by taking a look at two key storylines. Today we continue the series with the tight ends and wide receivers.
Will Jameson Williams provide the juice Alabama needs?
The rumblings are beginning to build when it comes to Alabama’s newest receiver. The Tide took advantage of the NCAA’s new transfer policy, nabbing Ohio State wideout Jameson Williams from the transfer portal in May. Two months later, the speedy receiver is already making a name for himself in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Williams’ contributions this offseason have come behind closed doors. Although, according to sources close to the program, Tide fans are in for a treat this fall. One source recently described the 6-foot-2, 188-pound receiver as a “bigger version of DeVonta Smith.” Last week, Nick Saban only added to the anticipation when he confirmed that Williams “has been very impressive with us this summer.”
“We felt like we needed somebody who had juice and speed at receiver to complement the players that we have, and some experience because we lost four first-round draft picks in the last two years at that position,” Saban said during SEC Media Days. “And he certainly has not disappointed us in how he’s handled those elements to our offense, especially what we’ve seen this summer.”
Williams’ ability to stretch the field vertically with his speed is especially important given the departure of Smith and fellow first-round pick Jaylen Waddle. While returning starters John Metchie III and Slade Bolden figure to be reliable options, neither has the game-changing gear the Tide has relied on from its receivers in recent years. Even when he isn’t chasing down deep balls from quarterback Bryce Young, Williams’ big-play potential should keep defenses honest and open up the offense for Alabama’s other options.
Will Jahleel Billingsley be college football’s next star tight end?
Last week Alabama celebrated Jahleel Billingsley’s inclusion on the preseason Mackey Award watch list with a Twitter post that read “Don’t sleep on 19.” By now, any Tide fans still asleep to the tight end’s potential need to be checked for a pulse.
Billingsley burst onto the scene late last season, tallying 18 receptions for 287 yards and three touchdowns despite failing to record a catch in Alabama's first four games. The 6-foot-4, 230-pounder had his coming out party against Kentucky as he hauled in three catches for 78 yards, hurdling Wildcats cornerback Kelvin Joseph in the process.
“Jahleel is a special player. He’s not an ordinary tight end,” former Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II said last season. “He’s a tight end who is capable of doing many things out in the perimeter. He has a tremendous catch radius and he’s also fast for a tight end. He brings many traits to the table.”
According to Pro Football Focus, Billingsley boasted the highest catch percentage among tight ends who were targeted at least 15 times last season, hauling in 17 of 18 (94.7%) balls thrown his way. While such percentages are bound to drop with larger sample sizes, that’s almost a 30% better reception rate than than reigning Mackey Award winner Kyle Pitts, who caught 43 of 65 (66.2%) of his targets last season.
Billingsley’s targets figure to increase as he leads a tight end unit that lost Miller Forristall and Carl Tucker this offseason. He could also capitalize from a change of guard at receiver following the departures of Smith and Waddle. If Billingsley can maintain anywhere close to last year’s reception rate, he should emerge as one of the nation’s top tight ends.
Alabama has received modest production from the tight end position the past two seasons but has produced a pair of NFL draft picks in Irv Smith Jr. and O.J. Howard in the past five years. The Tide has yet to yield a Mackey Award winner since the honor was first handed out in 2000. Billingsley will do his best to change that this season.
