Alabama wide receiver JoJo Earle suffers foot injury, per Nick Saban
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama wide receiver JoJo Earle has suffered a Jones fracture (foot) injury that will force him to miss the start of the regular season, according to head coach Nick Saban. The second-year pass-catcher is expected to miss somewhere between 6-8 weeks, which means the staff is hoping he’ll be back sometime around the early part of October.
“The only injury we have is JoJo got a Jones fracture in his foot in practice a couple days ago,” Saban said during his Wednesday press conference. “So those things are probably six to eight weeks, so we just have to see how it goes. But hopefully, maybe by Oct. 1 or something like that, he’ll be close to being ready to come back.”
Saban also mentioned that Earle had been doing a great job in fall camp.
“He was doing a really, really good job, having a really good camp,” Saban followed. “Probably the best he’s been on a consistent basis. Just saw a guy who grew up and was playing with a lot of confidence. So we’ll miss him for awhile, but we want him to get well and I’m sure he’ll contribute to the team at some point in time this year.”
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Earle was one of four top-8 wide receivers from the 2021 class to sign with Alabama, joining Ja’Corey Brooks (No. 2), Agiye Hall (No. 4) and Christian Leary (No. 8). Hall has since left the program to transfer to Texas, but the Crimson Tide replaced him by signing five more top-100 wide receivers — plus Georgia transfer Jermaine Burton — in 2022.
Earle was the only one from that 2021 group who didn’t enroll early. Yet, he was the only one of the four to crack Alabama’s two-deep prior to last year’s season opener. He was expected to split snaps with veteran Slade Bolden in the slot, but a slow start and an injury against New Mexico State prevented him breaking out.
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In 12 games, the rising sophomore receiver brought in 12 catches for 148 yards. That was good for an average of 12.3 yards per reception. Earle also fielded 16 punts as a return man, and took those for a combined 88 yards (5.5-yard average).
There have been some issues with drops, but there’s no denying his ability when he’s able to secure the football. At 5-foot-10, 177 pounds, Earle is slightly undersized, but his functional athleticism and quick-twitch style of play make him a dangerous weapon.
Unfortunately, injuries continue to plague the early part of his career. Hopefully, Earle will be able to get healthy in the coming weeks and come back to contribute to what many expect to be a quality receiving corp for star quarterback Bryce Young.
In his absence, expect to see more of other guys such as Christian Leary working in the slot. Freshman Aaron Anderson would have also been expected to contribute, but he’s out a few weeks with what head coach Nick Saban is describing as a “little knee injury.”
Stay tuned for more updates on Alabama football from BamaInsider.
