Alabama Football player to watch this week: Henry Ruggs III
By Mike Parham
This is a weekly article series examining the development of one Alabama Football player. Last week, the player chosen was junior defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs. This week, the player chosen is freshman wide receiver Henry Ruggs III.
Midway through the first quarter against Arkansas, Alabama football player Henry Ruggs III muffed his first punt return. No huge problem there, the Tide recovered it, and with their stifling defense, he was almost guaranteed a shot at redemption.
That shot at redemption came and Ruggs muffed his very next punt return, resulting in a turnover for the Tide. That effectively ended Ruggs’ punt return duties for the night.
Despite the muffed punts, Ruggs was able to contribute on offense with his pass catching ability. He hauled in a 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jalen Hurts in the third quarter.
So far this season, Ruggs has only been able to catch four passes. That may not seem impactful, but all four of those catches have been for touchdowns.
Hurts even joked with Ruggs about how he would only catch passes from freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa instead of him.
That may have been because Ruggs’ first two touchdown receptions came with the second unit. However, lately, Ruggs has been playing more with the first unit and hauled in his last two touchdowns from Hurts.
That production has been noticeable from Tide fans who see Ruggs as somewhat of a guaranteed touchdown.
Despite his up and down game against Arkansas, Ruggs remained out of the ‘dog house’ with head coach Nick Saban:
"“I like Henry Ruggs. He’s fast, he’s explosive, he’s got really good hands. He’s going to be a great punter returner here, even though y’all may kill him for missing the two that he missed today. I have a lot of confidence in him”"
Ruggs is no stranger to playing multiple positions
There is no doubt that Henry Ruggs III has the tools to become one of the next great wide receivers for the Tide. He was an elite wide receiver coming out of Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery, Alabama and was also rated a 4-star by most recruiting sites.
Along with being one of the top receivers and recording 82 catches for 1,649 yards and 20 touchdowns in his junior and senior seasons, Ruggs was tasked with carrying the ball, playing quarterback, and kick return.
He totaled 446 yards on the ground, 186 yards and 3 touchdowns passing, and 589 kick return yards along with a score.
Ruggs has the versatility to be a contributor for Alabama football in many different ways. He clearly knows how to move on to the next play and not let mistakes get him down. That attribute is rare for a freshman, a la Jalen Hurts, which is needed when games get close.
Next: Alabama Football: 10 reasons Vols hatred runs deep
Next week, we will examine the development of another Alabama football player on their path to becoming a routine contributor and/or better overall player for the Tide. Connect with us on Facebook and share your thoughts on which player’s development is vital for the 2017 Alabama football team.