How does the Alabama Football team replace Wide Receiver production in 2024
Entering 2024, the Alabama Football team will have more turnover in the wide receiver room than any other position group. The group will have a new wide receivers coach after Holmon Wiggins took the same job at Texas A&M. The team will also lose Isaiah Bond, Jermaine Burton, and Malik Benson; the team's starting trio of wide receivers. The trio accounted for 100 catches for 1,628 yards and 13 touchdowns. The transfer portal also brought the departures of Thaiu-Jones Bell, Ja'Corey Brooks, Shazz Preston, and Hayden Neighbors.
The Alabama Football team has struggled to get solid production in the passing game the last two seasons despite having a former Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback in 2022. This past season, the Alabama Football trio of starters accounted for 100 catches for 1,628 yards and 13 touchdowns. Washington's Rome Odunze had 93 catches for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns by himself in Kalen DeBoer and new Alabama OC Ryan Grubb's offense. Last season with DeBoer and Grubb, Washington had two 1,000-yard receivers and a third that reached 1,000 in 2022 and likely would've repeated in 2023 if not for injury.
A massive contributor to the Washington receiving corps' development and success is Jamarcus Shephard, who will be joining the Alabama Football team as the wide receivers coach. As a wide receivers coach for Purdue and Washington, Shephard has played a massive role in the recruitment and development of current and future receivers. At Purdue, Shephard recruited and developed David Bell and Rondale Moore while at Washington he developed Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan, and Ja'Lynn Polk.
Shephard will have to help develop a group of Alabama wide receivers who haven't played a significant amount of snaps yet. As things currently stand the Alabama Football team has Kendrick Law, Kobe Prentice, Emmanuel Henderson, Jalen Hale, Cole Adams, Jaren Hamilton, Amari Jefferson, Rico Scott, and Aeryn Hampton. Of the group, only Kendrick Law and Kobe Prentice have seen significant playing time while the rest of the group are all underclassmen.
Entering 2024, the top duo for the Alabama Football team will be Kendrick Law and Kobe Prentice. Over the past two seasons, Kobe Prentice has caught 49 passes for 651 yards and 4 touchdowns. Law has played more on special teams than at wide receiver, catching 23 passes for 238 yards. The rest of the group is unproven. Ideally, Bama wants five wide receivers heavily involved in the offense.