Nick Saban reveals thoughts on wide receiver unit, Jermaine Burton

Alabama head coach Nick Saban wasn’t pleased with the amount of passes his wide receiver room dropped during Saturday’s annual A-Day spring game, but chalked it up as an inexperienced group going through growing pains during the early offseason.

One receiver that Saban does have confidence in, though? Jermaine Burton. The Georgia transfer hauled in 73 receptions for 901 yards and eight touchdowns in his two seasons with the Bulldogs. Saban said that Burton has probably been the most consistent player at his position, aside from that, there needs to be some tweaking done to the group over the summer.

“I think we got a little bit a little more consistent,” Saban said. “We had some drops in the last scrimmage where we didn’t have bad conditions, and we had some today. The conditions cannot be an excuse. I mean, you got to be able to play and adapt whatever the circumstances are, we can’t control the weather.

“I think there’s focus, concentration, maturity, all those things go with that. I think some of the are young guys have been making an impact this spring.”

The amount of drops hasn’t been a one-time occurrence, either. Alabama’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young also spoke about the amount of drops his receivers have been responsible for this spring, though pointed the blame at himself, and is working with each receiver to create the chemistry that will eliminate drops from their offensive repertoire. 

Now that John Metchie and Jameson Williams are off to the 2022 NFL Draft, Young is going to have a lot on his plate with a majority of inexperienced wide receivers on the roster. Both parties are going to have to lean outside their comfort zones to find a common ground this season.

Incoming receivers Kendrick Law and Aaron Anderson are getting their first taste of what it’s like to be a part of the nation’s premier football program, while Ja’Corey Brooks, Christian Leary and JoJo Earle are getting the hang of it as year two approaches. All five of which Saban thinks can be the next guy, but doesn’t want to rush things with these blue-chip athletes.

“It’s obviously a place where we need to get more consistent,” Saban said. “There’s no question about it, in my opinion. If we’re going to be able to take advantage of the other strengths that we have on our team, I think that’s going to be a really important part of our development as an offensive team.”