March 4, 2015
Aaron Suttles
TideSports.com Senior Writer
The countdown to spring football continues. That's right, it's only nine days away. I continue the examination and ranking of Alabama's biggest development needs coming into the spring. The Crimson Tide is already plugging in new starters at quarterback, running back, tight end and three offensive linemen, but there is also gaping holes at wide receiver with the departures of Amari Cooper, DeAndrew White and Christion Jones.
The No. 3 developmental need during spring? Wide Receiver.
Chris Black is the team's leading returning wide receiver in 2015.
Replacing Amari Cooper's production with one player isn't doable. That's obvious. But it's not just him the Alabama offense lost. DeAndrew White and Christion Jones were no slouches, and together with Cooper they accounted for 85 percent of receiving yards by wide receivers in 2014. That's 2,495 yards out of 2,938. That's a staggering figure. The beauty of Lane Kiffin's offense is that he knows how to create favorable match-ups and mismatches. He proved that time and again last year, and the return of Kenyan Drake, who Kiffin loves in the passing game, will only add to his options. Here are the wide receivers that he'll develop during spring practice.
Chris Black: The 5-foot-11, 186-pound junior is the most experienced wide receiver on the roster, and perhaps the most explosive. He's mainly been used in the slot, but last season he branched out and lined up wide, too. He has quick-twitch speed and can be used to create favorable match-ups. He caught 15 passes for 188 yards in his sophomore season.
Raheem Falkins: The 6-4, 210-pound junior's advantages are obvious: his size. He's a big target and can help a quarterback out with a large catch radius. He played in eight games in 2014 but did not record a catch.
ArDarius Stewart: The 6-foot, 193-pound sophomore has a lot of people excited about his potential. He's got the speed, size and strength to be a difference-maker in 2015. He was often the first wide receiver off the bench for UA, recording 12 receptions for 149 yards. He has big-play potential and is a deep threat that defenses must contend with.
Robert Foster: The 6-3, 191-pound sophomore looks the part. If he ever puts it all together, he could be a special player. Nick Saban has previously mentioned him several times in terms of his wide receivers. He caught six passes for 44 yards in 2014.
Cam Sims: The 6-4, 208-pound sophomore made everything look easy during his freshman season. At the end of fall camp in 2014, I said I thought Sims would be a great player. He's on his way. He's another big target with long arms that can be a dangerous weapon in Alabama's passing attack. He caught seven passes for 62 yards and a touchdown during his freshman season.
Derek Kief: The 6-5, 200-pounder redshirted during his freshman season.
RANKING THE DEVELOPMENT NEEDS
No. 1 Quarterbacks
No. 2 Safeties
No. 3 Wide receivers
- See more at: https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1743038#sthash.mQXqhdET.dpuf
Aaron Suttles
TideSports.com Senior Writer
The countdown to spring football continues. That's right, it's only nine days away. I continue the examination and ranking of Alabama's biggest development needs coming into the spring. The Crimson Tide is already plugging in new starters at quarterback, running back, tight end and three offensive linemen, but there is also gaping holes at wide receiver with the departures of Amari Cooper, DeAndrew White and Christion Jones.
The No. 3 developmental need during spring? Wide Receiver.
Chris Black is the team's leading returning wide receiver in 2015.
Replacing Amari Cooper's production with one player isn't doable. That's obvious. But it's not just him the Alabama offense lost. DeAndrew White and Christion Jones were no slouches, and together with Cooper they accounted for 85 percent of receiving yards by wide receivers in 2014. That's 2,495 yards out of 2,938. That's a staggering figure. The beauty of Lane Kiffin's offense is that he knows how to create favorable match-ups and mismatches. He proved that time and again last year, and the return of Kenyan Drake, who Kiffin loves in the passing game, will only add to his options. Here are the wide receivers that he'll develop during spring practice.
Chris Black: The 5-foot-11, 186-pound junior is the most experienced wide receiver on the roster, and perhaps the most explosive. He's mainly been used in the slot, but last season he branched out and lined up wide, too. He has quick-twitch speed and can be used to create favorable match-ups. He caught 15 passes for 188 yards in his sophomore season.
Raheem Falkins: The 6-4, 210-pound junior's advantages are obvious: his size. He's a big target and can help a quarterback out with a large catch radius. He played in eight games in 2014 but did not record a catch.
ArDarius Stewart: The 6-foot, 193-pound sophomore has a lot of people excited about his potential. He's got the speed, size and strength to be a difference-maker in 2015. He was often the first wide receiver off the bench for UA, recording 12 receptions for 149 yards. He has big-play potential and is a deep threat that defenses must contend with.
Robert Foster: The 6-3, 191-pound sophomore looks the part. If he ever puts it all together, he could be a special player. Nick Saban has previously mentioned him several times in terms of his wide receivers. He caught six passes for 44 yards in 2014.
Cam Sims: The 6-4, 208-pound sophomore made everything look easy during his freshman season. At the end of fall camp in 2014, I said I thought Sims would be a great player. He's on his way. He's another big target with long arms that can be a dangerous weapon in Alabama's passing attack. He caught seven passes for 62 yards and a touchdown during his freshman season.
Derek Kief: The 6-5, 200-pounder redshirted during his freshman season.
RANKING THE DEVELOPMENT NEEDS
No. 1 Quarterbacks
No. 2 Safeties
No. 3 Wide receivers
- See more at: https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1743038#sthash.mQXqhdET.dpuf
