Brian Branch reveals two Alabama receivers he thinks are ready to take the next step

Alabama safety Brian Branch spends plenty of time matching up against the Crimson Tide receiving corps. He knows all too well the exploits of guys like Devonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, Jameson Williams and the other spectacular athletes to play the receiver position in the last few years.

With that crop of first-round NFL draft picks on to the next level, Nick Saban’s club needs younger playmakers to step up. Who would be a better judge of the underclassmen receiving talent than one of the ‘Bama safeties? Branch was asked at a recent press conference about two emerging wideouts, Jojo Earle and Christian Leary, and how they’ve developed since joining the program.

Here was his answer:

“Route-running wise, both of them have improved on that. And they already have the speed. Those are two very good slot receivers, I think, that have a great chance of going and playing at the next level in my eyes. That’s pretty much it.”

Leary and Earle are each rising sophomores, and could be necessary contributors with the Tide losing over 2,500 receiving yards between the departures of Jameson Williams and John Metchie.

Leary was a sparse participant as a freshman, though he did catch a few passes and carry the ball a few times. Meanwhile Jojo Earle was a primary punt returner and caught 12 passes for 148 yards during his first season. According to Branch, breakout years may be in store for both.

Brian Branch on Jahmyr Gibbs

Branch also commented on the likely starting running back for the Tide. The small and shifty Jahmyr Gibbs comes from Georgia Tech and is the No. 3 overall transfer in the On3 Transfer Rankings. Here were the Alabama safety’s comments on the new RB:

“His instincts I feel like are huge,” Branch said. “The way he gets in and out of cuts and finds little holes – just once he finds them he go like burst through them. I feel like that’s gonna help our running back room a lot. We already got a lot of good backs. So I’m just very excited to see how it pans out.”

Gibbs led the way into post-triple-option life for the Yellow Jackets. He was a thousand-yard all-purpose back a year ago and played a major role in both the running and passing game. He averaged north of five yards per carry both seasons and nearly and over 13 yards per catch on 35 total grabs.

Get this man the ball and he will produce.