There is no shortage of questions surrounding Alabama football heading into the first game against Western Kentucky.
One of the biggest: What will the receiver rotation look like? And more specifically, will Ryan Williams see the field?
The five-star freshman from Saraland has received no shortage of hype in the preseason.
Will he be part of the mix? It sounds like a handful of receivers have a chance for some snaps against the Hilltoppers on Saturday (6 p.m. ESPN) at Bryant-Denny Stadium, not just three starters.
“I’d say we’re fairly confident with anywhere from five to seven, but it’s hard to put a number on that,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said on the SEC coaches teleconference Wednesday. “There are some guys, depending on the flow of the game, could end up playing more or less. There’s a rotation. We run a lot of ones and twos in every practice like most people do. We have six solid guys for sure and there are a couple there that are pushing pretty hard.”
Some names at the position that have drawn good reviews at different times in preseason camp: Germie Bernard, Kendrick Law, Kobe Prentice, Cole Adams, Emmanuel Henderson Jr., Rico Scott, Caleb Odom and Williams. That alone is eight names.
If there’s a “six,” it’s probably Bernard, Law, Prentice, Williams, Adams and Henderson. But it sounds fluid.
“Naturally, we’ll substitute different packages,” DeBoer said. “We’ve always done that. It gives a lot of guys a different chance to get on the field. Different combinations might line up in different spots. That naturally happens. I think early in the season, you want to give as many guys as you think can be in the mix a chance. That being said, you’ve got to make sure you can execute and guys can get into a rhythm as well.”
