The buzz from preseason camp was real. Jaylen Waddle, the freshman receiver from Houston, had the hype and a bit of mystery. He wasn't around for spring practice, so nobody had seen him in an Alabama jersey doing something impressive on A-Day.
The veil was lifted Saturday before he even caught a pass.
It was telling when the slot receiver jogged onto the field after Louisville's first offensive drive as the Crimson Tide's punt returner. To gain that trust Season 1, Game 1 says something about the potential they see in Waddle.
And he delivered. Though wiped out by an illegal block, Waddle broke one for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of Alabama's 51-14 beating of Louisville.