Jaylen Waddle looking to follow in Jerry Jeudy's footsteps at Alabama
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Jaylen Waddle is focussing on getting even faster this year — a feat deemed seemingly impossible to those who watched the Alabama receiver last season.
Waddle is said to have sub-4.3 speed and flashed it several times during his first season with the Crimson Tide. The former five-star recruit ducked and dashed his way to SEC Freshman of the Year honors, tallying 848 yards and seven touchdowns on 45 receptions while finishing second in the conference averaging 14.6 yards per punt return.
Waddle has routinely challenged fellow speedster Henry Ruggs III for the title of fastest player on the team. In May, he narrowly lost out to Ruggs in a 40-yard dash which went viral over social media.
But can Waddle really reach a new gear this season?
"I definitely try to,” he said with a smile.
Waddle’s straight-line speed might have peaked. However, the sophomore still feels he can add more pace to his game by improving how quickly he gets into and out of his routes. Waddle works behind Jerry Jeudy at slot receiver during practice and says he’s been studying the Biletnikoff Award winner’s route-running ability and trying to add it to his own game.
That approach garnered some praise from head coach Nick Saban who said he’s seen more maturity from the sophomore this offseason.
“As you gain experience you sort of gain a little bit more respect for, ‘If I do this right I have an even better chance to be successful.’ And I think Jaylen has matured into that,” head coach Nick Saban said. “He made a tremendous amount of plays last year, and hopefully he’ll continue to have a great year this year for us.”
Reaching Jeudy’s level of mastery will take time. Alabama defensive back Shyheim Carter described the go-to receiver’s route-running ability as “10 out of 10.” Meanwhile, Saban also spoke glowingly of the star wideout, stating he’s just as effective playing on the outside as he is in the slot. That’s also an aspiration for Waddle, who spent 73 percent of his snaps in the slot last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
“I think it’s a great position for the things that I can do personally, just some of my skill sets go really well,” Waddle said of the slot position. “But I like to play outside a lot, too.”
While Waddle has a while to go before he catches up to his All-American teammate, he’s still a handful in his own right. Take it from Carter who often goes up against him in the slot while playing the Star position.
“He’s quick, so you’ve got to be on cue covering him,” Carter said. “If he runs anything quick, your reaction has to be just as quick as his. He’s quick and he’s fast, so it’s got to be like a bang-bang.”
Waddle’s shiftiness often allows him to slip past defenders. However, the sophomore is also working on bettering his deception with the goal of “setting up DBs and making them go where I want them to go.” Given Waddle’s athleticism, one wrong step from a defensive back likely leads to a big play.
“You’ve just got to know the down and distance, like what his favorite routes he likes to run, just knowing what’s coming before it happens,” said defensive back Patrick Surtain II, who moved to Star this offseason.
Fortunately for Alabama defensive backs, Waddle will soon become someone else’s problem. The Crimson Tide is set to kick off its season a week from Saturday as it takes on Duke at 2:30 p.m. CT inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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Andrew Bone, of BamaInsider.com, is a real estate broker in the state of Alabama.
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