Due to COVID-19 restrictions, peeks behind the curtain of Alabama’s practices have been few and far between. Insight into the Crimson Tide’s closed scrimmages comes at even more of a premium. Because of that, even the slightest glimpses of action become must-see content.

That was the case Sunday as Alabama released a one-minute highlight reel from its first fall scrimmage. The most memorable moment of the video occurs at the 44-second mark as sophomore receiver Javon Baker makes an acrobatic catch over freshman cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry.

Falling backward, Baker reeled in a pass with his right hand while keeping his left foot in bounds at the 1-yard line. Before the clip, Alabama fans had only heard the stories of the four-star receiver’s elite hands. Actually seeing him pull off one of those highlight catches in crimson and white has generated quite the buzz.

Baker’s teammates are used to him coming down with breathtaking grabs during practice. Last season, safety Jordan Battle claimed that the Atlanta native had the best hands on the team, comparing him to former Biletnikoff Award winner Amari Cooper. Nevertheless, Saturday’s scrimmage snag was just as spectacular to those who witnessed it live inside Bryant-Denny Stadium

“Obviously Bake made a great play,” redshirt junior receiver Slade Bolden said Tuesday. “He has great hands. He always goes up for contested balls. I was happy he was able to make that play.”

After joining Alabama as a Rivals150 recruit last summer, Baker seldom saw his name in the box score during his freshman season. The 6-foot-2, 206-pound wideout took part in 100 offensive snaps — the most among non-starting receivers — but registered just two receptions for 15 yards, reeling in the only two balls thrown his way.

With Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith and fellow first-round pick Jaylen Waddle now out of the picture, Baker should get more of an opportunity to make an impact during his second year with the program. This offseason, the sophomore has been seen working with the first-team offense alongside Bolden and John Metchie III.

“Javon Baker plays with a lot of [toughness] — he’s a very physical guy,” head coach Nick Saban said during the spring. “I think he has a much better grasp of the offense this year so his mental errors are way down. His production is up, which I think is a good thing.”

Stats were not released from Saturday’s scrimmage, so there’s no official way of knowing how much Baker contributed outside of his highlight catch. Tuesday, Bolden spoke optimistically of the unit as a whole, stating that the receivers were continuing to build chemistry with first-year starter Bryce Young behind center.

“I think there’s always going to be things that we’re going to need to improve on as a unit, but there was some improvement,” Bolden said. “I think the biggest thing was just, you know, [being] mentally tested. It’s a hot day, pushing through, a hard, hot scrimmage. I think that’s the biggest thing that we learned and developed during that scrimmage, and just mentally preparing for the season. But there was definitely some improvement. There are some things we still need to work on, but we got mentally tested and I think that’s the biggest thing we need.”

The veil over Alabama’s offense will officially be lifted on Sept. 4 as the Tide takes on Miami inside of Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Perhaps then Baker will finally have the opportunity to introduce himself to fans in person.