Alabama Football: Meet Tua Tagovailoa’s All-Star supporting cast
By Ethan Lee
Jerry Jeudy leads Alabama’s wide receivers this season
Perhaps there’s no better example of how improved a wide receiver can be when he’s able to catch passes from Tua Tagovailoa than Jerry Jeudy. While he was limited in how many opportunities he had to catch the ball a season ago as Calvin Ridley dominated the receptions for Bama in 2017, Jeudy has truly stepped into his own and is creating opportunities for himself this year.
In 2017, Jeudy was only able to get the ball in limited quantities. Last year, Jeudy had 14 receptions for 264 yards and a couple of touchdowns. Yardage wise, he was the second leading receiver for the Crimson Tide, but the focus last season was to get Ridley the ball as often as possible.
This season, Jeudy has stepped into that role himself. After eight games, Jerry Jeudy has 31 receptions for 777 yards and 10 touchdowns. Jeudy leads the way for Alabama’s receivers in every single category possible. No other wide receiver (or tight end) has more receiving yards, touchdowns, receptions, or yards per reception. He is Tua’s best option to throw to this year.
It’s no real surprise that he is having this success either. When Jeudy arrived in Tuscaloosa, he was a highly heralded recruit. The sophomore wide receiver originally hails from Deerfield Beach, Florida and went to Deerfield High School. In the 2017 recruiting class, Jeudy was the 21st best recruit in the country and the No. 3 best wide receiver. According to 247Sports’ composite ranking, Jerry Jeudy was a five-star prospect.