Alabama Football: Meet Tua Tagovailoa’s All-Star supporting cast
By Ethan Lee
Jaylen Waddle is just a freshman and is already contributing to Alabama’s offense
Nick Saban clearly has no issue with getting young players involved in significant roles with his offense. It helps when those young players are former four-star athletes who caught the attention of teams known for their potent offenses like Oregon, TCU, Arizona, Georgia, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and West Virginia.
Jaylen Waddle is a freshman from the Houston, Texas area and he’s not the most physically imposing wide receiver. He only stands at 5-10 and weighs 177 pounds, but that enables him to move up and down the field quickly. There’s a reason that those previously mentioned offenses wanted Waddle as part of their rosters and there’s a reason that Tua Tagovailoa is glad to have him on board at Alabama.
In 2018, Waddle has proven himself to be a reliable pass-catching option despite his youth. He is a regular part of Alabama’s and has caught 21 passes for 457 yards and a trio of touchdowns. When it comes to receiving yards gained, Waddle is the second leading receiver on Alabama’s roster, just barely ahead of Henry Ruggs III.
In addition to what Waddle can do for Alabama’s offense, he also provides the Crimson Tide a swift and reliable punt return option. So far, Waddle has returned 12 punts for 193 yards and a touchdown.