Alabama WR Slade Bolden announces plan for football future

Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Slade Bolden has wrapped up his time in Tuscaloosa and is declaring for the 2022 NFL Draft, according to a post released on his official social media accounts on Friday.

Bolden, a redshirt junior, has two seasons remaining of eligibility after redshirting his freshman year and the availability of a COVID-19 waiver for an extra season. 

He joins fellow receiver Jameson Williams, tackle Evan Neal, defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis and linebacker Christopher Allen as confirmed for heading to the NFL Draft. 

Thank you Bama… Roll Tide forever ❤️ #FaithOverFear pic.twitter.com/yiHBWGCI91

— Slade Bolden (@_slade_10) January 14, 2022

“I played my heart out every game and did everything I could do to help this team win, with that said, I will be declaring for the 2022 NFL Draft to chase my dreams that I’ve worked so hard to achieve,” the Alabama wideout said.

“Lastly, I just want to thank the University of Alabama for everything. It’s been an unbelievable ride and experience of a lifetime.”

Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide coaching staff are going to have to hit the reset button at wide receiver for 2022.

While it wasn’t ideal at the time, the injuries during the national championship loss to Georgia provided young Alabama receivers like Ja’Corey Brooks and Agiye Hall a chance to get live game reps in a critical situation.

“I think it’ll help them a lot,” head coach Nick Saban said of the experience the young receivers got during the game. “I think these kinds of experiences are invaluable. The thing that’s tough about it is we played some guys tonight that didn’t get to play much during the season, so they didn’t have much experience going in. And they had some opportunities and they made some plays and I’m sure that’ll help their confidence and they’ll grow and learn from this, and it’ll be a positive experience for them and their development in the future.

Earlier on Friday, Alabama Crimson Tide receiver Javon Baker entered his name into the transfer portal.

Baker has caught nine passes in his two years at Alabama, including seven this season for 101 yards and a touchdown. He has not caught a pass since Alabama’s win over New Mexico State on November 13.

Many valuable contributors are set to leave the program. Jameson Williams will be entering the NFL Draft, and Jahleel Billingsley has also entered the portal. Many other valuable pieces of the passing offense are set to be faced with tough decisions in the coming days and weeks.