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Jaylen Waddle warming up on the field to test injured ankle; Nick Saban provides final update on speedy WR’s health
By Jake Rill
Published:
Jaylen Waddle took the field for warmups at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami to test his right ankle ahead of Monday night’s College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Will the Alabama junior wide receiver feel strong enough to come back later to take on Ohio State?
“It’ll be a limited basis, if he can play,” Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban said during ESPN’s pregame coverage, shortly before Waddle was spotted on the field. “That decision is going to be up to him.”
Waddle hasn’t played since Oct. 24, as he sustained the ankle injury during Alabama’s game against Tennessee. He fractured his ankle, which then required surgery to repair.
Before that, Waddle went over 100 yards in each of the Crimson Tide’s first four games, totaling 25 receptions for 557 yards and four touchdowns during that stretch. If he’s able to play at all, he could potentially provide them with an offensive boost against the Buckeyes.
Throughout the week, there had been reports of Waddle participating in practice and getting cleared to play, but that decision still hadn’t officially been made a little more than an hour before kickoff, as Saban indicated during his ESPN interview.
Here are some clips of Waddle from pregame warmups as he prepared to potentially play on Monday night:
https://twitter.com/RespectDaBeard1/status/1348776269433905152
Jaylen Waddle moving around, testing the ankle #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/lzcVx27k9W
— Brett Hudson (@Brett_Hudson) January 11, 2021
Jaylen Waddle testing out his ankle. pic.twitter.com/Yb1OUz8br5
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) January 11, 2021
More Waddle warmup. pic.twitter.com/HpLF51aw2n
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) January 11, 2021
Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. He has covered the SEC since 2016.
