Bill O’Brien names 3 Alabama WRs who have stepped up in John Metchie’s absence

Alabama has known that it will be without skilled receiver John Metchie for the College Football Playoff, but that doesn’t make it any easier. Metchie suffered a torn ACL during the SEC Championship Game against Georgia.

Yes, Jameson Williams is Alabama’s game-breaker on offense; however, Metchie allowed the Tide and Bryce Young to remain very potent due to his big play ability. Metchie’s dynamic ability didn’t allow defenses to focus completely on Williams.

Now, Metchie is out, and Bill O’Brien will need other receivers to step into Metchie’s massive vacancy, and he was asked about that during his press conference Tuesday. O’Brien, the team’s offensive coordinator, singled out 3 freshmen who are stepping up during Playoff practice.

“When you lose a guy like Metch, it’s not easy,” O’Brien said. “He’s a 100-catch guy. He can do so many different things for us, and he’s just a great guy. So, his presence in the room is missed and all those things, but when those things happen in football, it does give opportunities to other guys, guys like Ja’Corey Brooks, JoJo Earle. I think that those guys have stepped up. I’ve seen improvement from Agiye Hall. I’ve seen improvement from a lot of different guys.

“And then you have your guys that you know are dependable and trustworthy that are going to be there. The veterans, Jameson Williams and Slade Bolden and Cam Latu. Jahleel Billingsley had a good couple weeks. So, we’re excited about the opportunity and, really, the guys that have some opportunities that maybe they haven’t had all year. Hopefully, they’ll be able to step up and make some plays on Friday.”

That’s welcomed news for Alabama’s offense. Freshmen Brooks, Earle and Hall will try to give Alabama another potent weapon on the outside against Cincinnati’s talented secondary.

SDS Staff

Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.