Nick Saban shouts out Crimson Tide freshmen who have embraced week-over-week progress

No. 2 Alabama survived a scare against Texas in Week 2 but has otherwise cruised past every opponent, winning each of its other three games by at least 52 points. That’s given Nick Saban plenty of time to play Crimson Tide freshmen.

And though he’s not one for singling guys out, Saban did mention several by name for doing a nice job when asked Wednesday on an SEC teleconference call.

“I don’t think it’s fair to point out one guy,” Saban said. “You’ve got a lot of freshmen who are trying to progress.

“Jaheim Oatis is playing a lot on the defensive line. Several receivers have made nice progress and have played. Kobe Prentice and Isaiah Bond. We’ve got other guys, Kendrick Law‘s making progress. Freshman running back has done really well, (Jamarion Miller), when he’s got a chance. (Tyler Booker) has played well when he’s played on the offensive line.”

Miller has arguably been the most productive of the bunch on paper, though Prentice has also had a significant impact.

At running back Miller has accounted for 146 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 20 carries so far this season. His highlight was a 40-yard run against Vanderbilt last week. Prentice has logged 12 catches for 119 yards.

Bond and Law haven’t made quite as big an impact, but they’ve still contributed. Bond has four catches for 36 yards, while Law has two for 22 yards.

Oatis has tallied seven tackles, a half tackle for a loss and a quarterback hurry. Booker has appeared in three of the team’s four games along the offensive line.

Crimson Tide freshman from 2022 class contributing early

Saban’s certainly no stranger to playing freshmen, having done it routinely throughout his tenure leading the Crimson Tide. How many he plays often depends on the team’s overall depth.

Alabama is pretty deep once again this year, but the early blowouts have given him a bit more leeway to get several involved.

“It’s really not fair to single out one guy,” Saban said. “I think all of those guys are making progress and we need more of the guys to continue making progress.”

Whether that progress continues will be up to the individuals going forward. Their road to playing time the rest of the season isn’t likely to get easier as the SEC schedule kicks in and games become more competitive.

In any case, the Crimson Tide freshmen are seeing the path to playing time is in front of them.

Alabama will travel to No. 20 Arkansas this weekend for the first of three consecutive games against ranked opponents. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET with a national broadcast on CBS.