Is Jaylen Mbakwe's move to WR permanent? Kalen DeBoer weighs in
TAMPA, Fla. – During Alabama’s on-site bowl prep for Michigan, true freshman defensive back Jaylen Mbakwe has worked with the Crimson Tide wide receivers. Mbakwe has even changed numbers, moving from the No. 9 he wore all season to the now-vacant No. 6.
Does that mean his postseason move to the offensive side of the ball is permanent? Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer was asked that on Monday ahead of the ReliaQuest Bowl.
“I think it’s something that, based on what we’ve seen here through the first couple, I guess, almost two weeks now, of him taking reps, he’s certainly got the skill set and really excited about what he can do for us there at that position,” DeBoer said.
“… I think you’ll see us continue to move in this direction with him. He’s really been focused on the offensive side, really all of our bowl prep. It was natural, No. 1, because of numbers, but No. 2, just because I think of what he can do as a football player.
“Not all guys just naturally move into that role, but he’s provided a really good amount of confidence in us and, I think, his teammates in his transition here already.”
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Observations from Alabama’s first on-site practice for ReliaQuest Bowl
Mbakwe flirted with transferring a week ago after one school offered him seven figures. But the in-state freshman elected to stay at Alabama. Shorthanded at wide receiver, the Tide elected to get him reps on offense ahead of its season finale against the Wolverines on Tuesday, Dec. 31. Mbakwe worked with the second-team offense, operating out of the slot.
Mbakwe was a 5-star recruit out of Clay-Chalkville High School. For his senior year, he moved to quarterback and led the Cougars to a 6A state championship. Mbakwe ran the ball 148 times for 1,065 yards and 23 touchdowns and threw for 2,007 yards and 20 scores. He was named the MVP of the state championship game after accounting for 282 yards of total offense and four touchdowns in a win over Saraland and now teammate Ryan Williams.
Mbakwe has appeared in 11 of Alabama’s 12 regular-season games as a rookie in Tuscaloosa. Part of the Crimson Tide’s cornerback rotation early on, Mbakwe tallied 15 tackles, one tackle for loss and two pass breakups. He also contributed on Alabama’s special teams units, as most true freshmen start out, but even returned punts – a pair for 46 yards in 2024.
Now, Mbakwe appears to play snaps on the offensive side to cap Alabama’s 2024 season.
“He’s got the speed,” DeBoer said. “He’s had the ball in his hands all through high school, running the offense there at that level, and then we’ve used him in the punt return game and the return games. So we’re just really comfortable with what he can bring to the table now. Now, it’s just learning the position, learning the offense.”
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