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The Tuscaloosa News
Alabama football position change is nothing new for Jaylen Mbakwe. He's done it before
- Story byThe Tuscaloosa News
- Alabama football position change is nothing new for Jaylen Mbakwe. He's done it before
What does it take to stop Jaylen Mbakwe , the receiver? Zabien Brown would know.
When asked, all the rising Alabama football sophomore cornerback did was smile, reverting to how the Crimson Tide wide receiver room, generally, is unique, and how versatility as a cornerback is key in stopping all the members of that room.
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But to Brown, there is no question: Mbakwe is a full-fledged member of Alabama 's receiver room.
"He really (has) been opening a lot of people's eyes," Brown said.
Mbakwe is no longer the Alabama cornerback-turned-wide receiver, working to make the transition as seamless as possible heading into his second season with the Crimson Tide. He's now a part of the collective, a group eager to work, eager to improve.
"The thing I like about where he is at right now is his head's in a good place," Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. "He's just working and getting better. The whole room has improved, right? From top to bottom, it's competitive. But he's getting in there and taking advantage of the reps he has, and that's what you want to do at this time."
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None of this is a shock to Clay-Chalkville High School football coach Stuart Floyd, who had a front-row seat to Mbakwe's last position change.
Meet Jaylen Mbakwe , the quarterback
Clay-Chalkville's Jaylen Mbakwe (9) eludes Saraland's Jermaine Paramore, Jr., (88) and Camron Laffitte (10) during the AHSAA Class 6A football state championship game at Bryant Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Friday December 8, 2023.
Floyd first saw Mbakwe on the opposing sideline, coaching at Mortimer Jordan High School, trying to game plan against a receiver room that included Mbakwe, Tennessee-turned- Florida State wide receiver Squirrel White and Mississippi State-turned-Texas A&M receiver Mario Craver .
"(It) wasn't kind of easy to pick one," Floyd said.
Mbakwe was the kind of receiver opposing cornerbacks tried to keep in front of them, Floyd said. It was their only hope, praying that he would not use his shiftiness and speed to evade tacklers.
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But when Floyd was hired at Clay-Chalkville as offensive coordinator ahead of the 2023 season, he and then-head coach Drew Gilmer had a different idea with Mbakwe: Move the already-committed Alabama football recruit to quarterback, a position he'd taken sporadic snaps at as a junior.
The fit was untraditional. It was uncomfortable. But Floyd and the coaching staff saw Mbakwe as "a tremendous leader and one that all the kids listened to."
In Mbakwe, Floyd saw similarities to a quarterback he coached in a previous stop at Clay-Chalkville: Ty Pigrome, who was Alabama's Gatorade Football Player of the Year in 2015 and led the Cougars to a 6A state final appearance before playing college football at Maryland , Western Kentucky, Ole Miss and Towson .
And with Mbakwe, the experiment worked.
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As a quarterback, Mbakwe had 2,536 total yards — 1,695 passing and 891 rushing — along with 38 total touchdowns split evenly between passing and rushing through the first 12 games of 2023. Mbakwe then led Clay-Chalkville to a 6A state championship win against Ryan Williams -led Saraland.
"I told him, our goal for him was for him to win Mr. Football, which I think he still should have," Floyd said. "I know Ryan's a great player, but, statistically, if you look at the year, it wasn't close statistically. You've got a player moving from receiver to quarterback his senior year and having 50-something touchdowns. I don't know that, that's ever happened before, especially on a high-level, 6A. And you beat Ryan Williams in the championship. And it came down to the last play: Jaylen's guarding him, and they don't throw it to him. I don't know. I think he got the shaft on that one."
How quarterback move helped Jaylen Mbakwe
Watching Mbakwe at Alabama, Floyd sees someone who's become the player he is today because of his time at quarterback.
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As a defensive back, Floyd said Mbakwe had a better understanding of passing concepts and coverages as a former quarterback with a football IQ that gave him the whole picture of an opposing offense instead of just one wide receiver,
As a wide receiver, Floyd said Mbakwe understands spacing much more as a former quarterback, having learned the routes and responsibilities of each receiver on the field instead of just his own.
"Once you get that quarterback perspective, you kind of look at things through that lens no matter where you play after that," Floyd said.
So what kind of wide receiver is Alabama getting in Mbakwe with his defensive back and quarterback past?
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To Floyd, it's a receiver who is physical, dependable and reliable to whoever is throwing him the ball, one who has top-notch football IQ.
But to Floyd, Alabama is getting the person Mbakwe has always been: the friendly, caring and aware teammate who talks to people as if "you've known them for a long time."
"Jaylen Mbakwe the person is way better than the player," Floyd said.
Could Jaylen Mbakwe play both ways for Alabama football?
Mar 21, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Defensive back Jaylen Mbakwe catches a pass during practice at the University Alabama Thursday.
With Mbakwe's experience at both defensive back and wide receiver, and the knowledge of the game as a former quarterback, the question is does Floyd think Mbakwe could play both corner and wide receiver at Alabama like Travis Hunter did at Colorado ?
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In theory? Yes. In actuality? Probably not.
"I think he could handle the mental load, I think," Floyd said. "I don't know about at Alabama. Colorado, that's just a different brand of football in my opinion. I don't know, schematically. If you can water it down on one side or the other, maybe. I just think you got to be simple on one side for that player. What that kid was able to do at Colorado, that's pretty rare, obviously."
So why did Mbakwe move to wide receiver? Floyd boils the decision down to where Mbakwe feels he can get on the field the fastest and contribute; what position best maximizes his ceiling as a player.
But that is not what matters most to Floyd.
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"For me, I want him to be, No. 1, where he's happy," Floyd said. "That's the biggest thing. If you're not having fun, then there's no point in really doing it."
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football position change is nothing new for Jaylen Mbakwe
