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Who is Jayden Hobson? What we know about newest Alabama football transfer
- Story byThe Tuscaloosa News
- Who is Jayden Hobson? What we know about newest Alabama football transfer
Hillcrest High School football coach Jamie Mitchell did not have Jayden Hobson for very long.
Hobson transferred to Hillcrest from Paul W. Bryant High School as a senior, joining Mitchell's program in January as an offensive lineman. But Hobson made a large first impression as a "talented kid," a "pleaser as a worker" and a "good football player" who hadn't gotten a lot of attention to play college football.
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"He was a really, really freaky, athletic, big dude," Mitchell told the Tuscaloosa News.
Mar 5, 2025; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Tight end Jayden Hobson (48) leaps for a high pass during Spring Practice for the Crimson Tide.
But Hobson was "kind of an unknown," much like the player that appeared on Alabama football's 2025 roster the day before spring practice began. And he was not the same player he was for Mitchell at Hillcrest.
On Alabama's roster , the former Mississippi State and South Alabama offensive lineman is now a 6-foot-5, 255-pound tight end , 40 pounds lighter than what he was listed as on the Bulldogs' 2023 roster.
But to Mitchell, Hobson will always be the player who "passed the eye test real quick."
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"He was going to really blow up," Mitchell said. "Nobody really knew about him, and he's a super, super talented kid. And then, sure enough, we had several other kids being recruited, and coaches show up. One of the first players they asked about, saying 'Gollee, who's that big dude?'"
Mitchell described Hobson as a "highly skilled guy," showcasing the combination of size and mobility in an offense that would repeatedly pull its guards out wide.
Once at Hillcrest, Hobson became a recruiting target, reporting offers from programs such as Memphis, Appalachian State and West Virginia before committing to Southern Miss in June 2022. After he received a Mississippi State offer that October, Hobson soon flipped his commitment and joined the Bulldogs' 2023 class.
After one redshirt season with Mississippi State, he transferred to South Alabama where he, reportedly, left the program before the season began.
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Mitchell would not specifically address Hobson's reason for leaving South Alabama, but called it "a period where there was some growing up that he had to do."
"That happens to a whole lot of young kids," Mitchell said. "They graduate high school and got the world by the tail, and he went through a couple of transitions there that I think he would be the first to tell you didn't make some great choices."
Even with the move to tight end, Mitchell expects Hobson to put back on "good weight" in is time with the Crimson Tide , saying the "skill set is there" to make an impact in Alabama's tight end room.
Along with Marshall Pritchett and Kaleb Edwards in the 2025 class, Hobson is the second addition Alabama has made at tight end in the transfer portal. The Crimson Tide added former Weber State tight end Peter Knudson as a preferred walk-on.
Aug 10, 2022; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Hillcrest High lineman Jayden Hobson is one of the top five football prospects in the Tuscaloosa area. Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News
Mitchell is ready to see what Hobson "the talented kid" he had a year with, can do back in Tuscaloosa.
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"I'm just beyond thankful he got a golden opportunity here, has a chance to get back in the saddle," Mitchell said.
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: Who is Jayden Hobson? What we know about newest Alabama transfer
