What JaMarcus Shephard said about Germie Bernard, Ryan Williams

JaMarcus Shephard will coach Alabama’s wide receivers this year, and one of eight new on-field coaches had promising things to say about two new additions to his position room.

One followed Shephard, Kalen DeBoer and company from Washington via the transfer portal in Germie Bernard. A transfer from Michigan State, Bernard played in 14 of the Huskies’ 15 games in 2023 and made seven starts. He caught 34 passes for 419 yards and two touchdowns and added two more scores on the ground while also contributing in the return game.

“Germie is a pure receiver,” said Shephard in an interview on Tide 100.9. “He’s somebody that understands receiver play to a high level. He knows how to get to his route location. He understands how to gain leverage on defenders and when in those particular moments, based on the leverage that he wants to create. In addition, you’re going to see a tough kid. 

“If you watch the film of us at Washington, this kid, I mean, I had plenty of the referees come to me saying, ‘Hey, you gotta watch (No. 4). He’s hitting the guys too hard. Flipped a couple of guys upside down on their head and blocking on the perimeter.’ He brings a mentality.”

Having been in what will be a new offense for Alabama’s returning players on that side of the ball, Bernard will be “extremely helpful” in helping bring the old and new receivers along.

“The guys last year that we had at the previous place, guess what, they sort of aided him and his adjustment into the offense,” Shephard said. “And now he’ll do the same thing with our guys now, has been doing that. Making sure that all these guys truly understand all the nuances that are required for us to be successful in this offense.”

The other receiver that Sheridan was asked about was the Crimson Tide’s top-rated signee in its 2024 class, Ryan Williams. The nation’s No. 5 recruit, per the On3 Industry Rankings, Williams was committed to Alabama before Nick Saban retired but reopened his recruitment on the same day the now-former Tide head coach announced that he was stepping away. 

However, it didn’t take long for DeBoer and the new staff to make Williams a top priority, and 14 days later, the Saraland product recommitted to and ultimately signed with Alabama. He and his new position coach formed a quick relationship ahead of his freshman season.

“One of the compliments that I could give to Ryan is that I know he’s been highly recruited, I know that a lot of people see all the skill sets, the football skills that he brings to the table,” Shephard said. “But he is as elite as a human being to this point as he is a football player, and that’s the best compliment I can say to the young man. 

“He’s somebody that immediately, we gravitated towards each other. We kind of felt each other’s energy, knew that we could work well together. He’s a sponge. He’s dialed in, focused. He wants more. He wants to be coached at a high level. He’s not a prima-donna that’s gonna be frustrated because I’m having tough coaching for the guy. He can take tough coaching. 

“… So I think that because of the skill set that he has, he will have success pretty early on. I really truly believe that for him. But it’s just his ability to be a sponge and be excited about playing a game that’s really going to allow him to be successful right away.”

Why Shephard refers to WRs as ‘takers’

Bernard, Williams and other receivers in Alabama’s corps should expect to hear Shephard refer to them as “takers” rather than receivers. The co-offensive coordinator explained in his interview with Ryan Fowler that he doesn’t want his group to be known as passive.

“There’s a lot of folks across the country and they look at football and they think of receivers, they think of them as playing kind of soft. And that right there, that doesn’t go over very well with me,” Shephard said. “A coach once told me, ‘Hey, get your guys to play in your image,’ and I tried to be a tough player, even as the receiver. 

“So what I tell these guys all the time – your mom, she’s a receiver. Your dad may even be a receiver. Your grandma, even your teachers, they’re probably receivers. They receive Amazon packages in the mail and is very, very much something that is passive. Being a taker is aggressive. 

“It’s an aggressive way. It’s an aggressive lifestyle. It’s how you go after the football. It’s how you go after blocks. It’s how you conduct yourself every single day on that football field. So being a taker is much more descriptive of how I want these guys to play.”

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