An opportunity for the exhausted Alabama wide receiver room at the ReliaQuest Bowl…
The college football offseason never stops in the modern era. Alabama Football is hardly an exception to the rule because most teams nowadays contend with attrition and roster turnover before the season even ends.
Bama has already taken some serious hits in the early stages of the 2025 transfer portal cycle. Once one of the most familiar names on the roster, sophomore running back Justice Haynes left after contributing significantly to the offense in 2024. The Alabama fan base has been further rocked in recent days by the transfers of two defensive backs. This season, both true freshman Jaylen Mbakwe and redshirt junior DeVonta Smith were in the starting lineup for the Alabama secondary. Even if the Tide still intends to retain Mbakwe, Bama supporters will have trust issues after learning of the former 5-star recruit’s departure plans.
Alabama wide receiver room running thin
While Alabama has experienced losses across the board, the receiver room has been hit especially hard. The recent departure of Emmanuel Henderson Jr. means the Tide has now lost four receivers to the portal in this cycle. Henderson, Caleb Odom, Kobe Prentice, and Kendrick Law played varying roles in the Alabama offense this season, with all catching at least four balls.
In addition to these departures, Bama lost another rotation receiver to injury when Cole Adams was knocked out for the season last month.
Factor in the preseason injury to Jalen Hale and the injury to reserve Bubba Hampton, and the Tide will enter the ReliaQuest Bowl with just five available scholarship wideouts. There is even speculation that fellow reserve Amari Jefferson is also injured, though I haven’t seen any official confirmation of this.
Top receivers Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard should be healthy and active to lead the unit against Michigan. True freshman Rico Scott and redshirt freshman Jaren Hamilton should get extensive reps in the bowl game and are potential breakout candidates.
Scott has already shown some flashes, making four catches for the season including two against a Big Ten opponent in Wisconsin and a 31-yard touchdown grab against Mercer. Conversely, Hamilton has gotten very limited opportunities and has yet to make a catch in his Alabama career.
Heading into a 2025 season with a lot of unknowns, it could be a good thing for Alabama to get these two young receivers a ton of reps.
On the other hand, however, Bama could be thin to a degree that it could cause issues in the bowl game. Though the Tide was disappointed by missing the playoff, this bowl game still carries a lot of weight.
Alabama has the opportunity to beat another blueblood brand, reach the 10-win mark, and avenge its playoff loss from last season. Most importantly, it can end its season on a high note and carry lots of positive momentum into the offseason and the 2025 campaign.
Michigan hasn’t been great this year, and it will be even less dangerous with several key opt-outs. Still, the Wolverines have a winning culture and showed they can still beat top teams with their rivalry weekend upset of Ohio State.
To get the win, Alabama may need big plays from unproven receivers like Scott and Hamilton. It will be fascinating to see if these former blue chip recruits can rise to the occasion.
