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Why Alabama football WR Germie Bernard followed Kalen DeBoer from Washington
- Story byThe Tuscaloosa News
- Why Alabama football WR Germie Bernard followed Kalen DeBoer from Washington
The Alabama football coaching staff trusts Germie Bernard as much as any player on the roster.
The wide receiver is a playmaker, to be sure, but in this Crimson Tide offense, he's counted on for so much more. He's trusted to make tough catches in the middle of the field, to play multiple receiver roles, to block, to run the ball and, as of the Georgia game, to even pass the ball.
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And the trust goes two ways.
Bernard was one of several former Washington players who entered the NCAA transfer portal in order to follow Kalen DeBoer after was hired from UW to replace Nick Saban. Along with C Parker Brailsford, QB Austin Mack and TE Josh Cuevas, Bernard made the move for a reason.
"Just the guy he is, then the coach he is. He cares about you genuinely off the field, he wants the best out of you on the field and he puts guys in position to get to the next level," Bernard said. "That's where I want to get to. That's my goal, and I want to be coached under him."
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The culture DeBoer was building at Alabama during his first season came under question at times. Concerns were raised when team captain Malachi Moore lost all composure in the waning moments of a loss to Vanderbilt, among other moments. But Bernard had been part of a DeBoer locker room that reached the CFP national title game at Washington and had no doubt DeBoer could duplicate his success at Alabama .
"Coach DeBoer does a great job of putting leaders in the position to lead. Germ knew he could be a leader within the locker room because of the way coach DeBoer sets things up," said Alabama wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard, who was also Bernard's position coach at Washington. "His strong faith is extremely important to him also, and having been in the room with the rest of the receiving corps, that piece is extremely important to him. He wants to be the type of man that others want to follow."
Shephard said Bernard kept quiet upon his arrival at Alabama, setting examples by action first. Initially, Shephard practiced him with the fourth team so that his teammates could watch him earn a rise up the depth chart, rather than being handed a role. Along with being UA's top receiver now, he's also a much more vocal player, but leadership was a process he didn't think could be rushed.
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"His work ethic was already there when he decided to say something, so they respected what he had to say," Shephard added.
It wasn't the first time Bernard's had to work his way up from the bottom.
In a loaded Washington wide recievers room that included three eventual NFL draft picks in front of Bernard, he carved out a role as the No. 4 receiver and a key player in some of offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb's trick plays. His move to Alabama has shown he was ready to be more. He's been the Crimson Tide's most reliable receiver this season, and while he might not be as explosive as sophomore star Ryan Williams , he's got two more years of college experience and is the more complete player.
And he saw DeBoer as the right coach to help him flourish.
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As for his goal of reaching the NFL, Shephard put that part of Bernard's transfer decision in perspective as well.
"I think we led the nation in passing (at Washington). That attracts a lot of people to want to come play at that position," Shephard said. "He knew what this offense was capable of in terms of highlighting this particular position, and he trusts it. He trusted coach DeBoer and myself and the rest of the staff."
Reach Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on X @chasegoodbread.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Why Alabama football WR Bernard followed Kalen DeBoer to Alabama
