TideSports 2016 preview: Wide receviers
Returning starters: Calvin Ridley, ArDarius Stewart
Starters lost: Richard Mullaney
Top candidates: Sophomore Calvin Ridley set the school’s single-season freshman receiving record by posting 1,045 yards in 2015. He’s the biggest returning star on offense for Alabama and one of the most dangerous receivers in the nation. ArDarius Stewart brings toughness and provides much of the identity for the receivers. He was steady last year, finishing with 700 yards and four touchdowns. Redshirt junior Robert Foster was more productive than both those players early in the season before a shoulder injury against Ole Miss ended his season early. He could pick up where he left off last September. Cam Sims, Derek Kief and Raheem Falkins are three bigger receivers who might also be ready to contribute as they gain more experience.
Newcomer to watch: Bowling Green transfer Gehrig Dieter was one of just 19 players in the country last year with at least 1,000 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. Depth at the position means he’ll have to earn his playing time in fall camp, but he’s a proven playmaker. He had seven catches for 133 yards and a touchdown against Tennessee last year for the Falcons. Back in 2011, he set the national high school receiving record by posting 447 yards in a single game. He arrives as a graduate transfer with one season to play.
You need to know: ArDarius Stewart had 63 catches for 700 yards and four touchdowns last year. That number may not jump out, but it was the most receptions and yards for Alabama’s second-leading receiver under Nick Saban. O.J. Howard, the third-leading receiver, was also more productive than the second-leading receiver in any year dating back to 2007.
Outlook: The potential is there for this to be the best overall receiving group Alabama has had under Saban. Ridley looks like the next star Alabama receiver, following Julio Jones and Amari Cooper, but there’s more depth now than the Crimson Tide had around either of those players. The offense may lean on the receivers early with a new quarterback and two new running backs entering the picture. Given some time to develop with whomever wins the quarterback job, this group could be a focal point of the offense.
Key stat: Ridley got better as the season went on. He averaged 31.2 yards per game in September, but averaged 83.6 yards per game from October through the end of the season to set the school’s freshman receiving record.
Quotable: “Any time they put in another receiver (in practice), you just know this guy is just as good as the one that just walked on. There's not really ever a time to really relax when you're out there. It's always a guy that can go 4.3 (seconds in the 40-yard dash), a guy that can jump a 40-inch vertical. We have depth for days at the wide receiver position." – Cornerback Marlon Humphrey