When Nick Saban started winning national titles at Alabama, the team was known for its defensive intensity and complete domination of opponents. Guys like Julio Jones and Mark Ingram paved the way for offensive talent in Tuscaloosa, but in the early years of the dynasty they weren’t the recipe, they were the cherry on top.
As college football started to shift to being a more offensive game, coach Saban and the Tide pivoted with it and started investing more into quarterbacks and skill position players. Blake Sims and Jalen Hurts were the first guys to kind of move Alabama away from relying so heavily on their defense, but Tua Tagovailoa was the guy who totally changed the way Alabama played offense. Granted when you have skill position guys like Jerry Jeudy, Najee Harris or Josh Jacobs you lean into that.
As a result, Alabama has produced some of the best young skill players in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus. In their top 10 players under the age of 25, both [autotag]Jaylen Waddle[/autotag] and [autotag]DeVonta Smith[/autotag] are listed. The Dolphins have Waddle paired with Tyreek Hill and the Eagles have Smith paired with AJ Brown making up the two best receiving duos in the NFL. Smith is a Heisman Trophy winner and knocking on the door as a Super Bowl winner with some calling Waddle’s speed and after-catch abilities generational.
Top-10 skill position players under 25, per @TampaBayTre pic.twitter.com/b7QiOThgN9
— PFF (@PFF) May 20, 2023
Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Waddle and Smith.
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