KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Alabama will be without its most electric player for the remainder of the year as Jaylen Waddle suffered a season-ending ankle injury against Tennessee on Saturday.
Returning the game's opening kickoff, the Crimson Tide receiver broke to his left before being rolled up on by Tennessee defensive back Kenneth George Jr. Waddle immediately got up in pain and hopped to the sideline, failing to put any weight on his right leg. From there, he was carted off the field before leaving Neyland Stadium in an ambulance.
Following the game, Nick Saban said Waddle's injury is similar to former Alabama running back Kenyan Drake's season-ending injury in 2014. Waddle is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
"It’s a high-ankle sprain but also a fracture, so they’ll probably have to do surgery on him," Saban said. "We’re going to fly him back privately with the best doctors and take him right to Birmingham and see what we have to do right away.
“If that’s the case, and we’re pretty certain that it is, he would probably be out for the year. So the guy’s a great player. He’s a great teammate. He’s an exciting player to watch. I hate it that people in college football can’t see a great player the rest of this season.”
Waddle entered the game as Alabama's leading receiver with 557 yards and four touchdowns on 25 receptions. He also served as the team's punt returner in addition to kick return duties.
Redshirt sophomore Slade Bolden replaced Waddle on both offense and special teams. Bolden finished with a career-high six receptions for 94 yards while returning a punt 4 yards.
