Rising Sophomore Pass Catchers
In this article:
Year after year, Alabama is loaded with a talented core of wide receivers. Today we looked at a few sophomores that you may not have heard of just yet, but are starting to make a big impact at the varsity…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingYear after year, Alabama is loaded with a talented core of wide receivers. Today we looked at a few sophomores that you may not have heard of just yet, but are starting to make a big impact at the varsity level. Here are five risers you need to know!
Brody Jones Brody Jones 5’8″ | 150 lbs | WR West Jessamine | 2026 AL catches the ball with his hands and is dangerous once he has made the reception. With elusive moves and cutting ability, Jones will rip off yards after contact and make some tacklers look bad as they grasp at air after Jones has already darted past them. Even though he is not a big receiver, Jones shows toughness to fight through tackles, plus he is willing to dish out some violence to tacklers himself. Jones also is a threat to beat coverage deep by using his speed on verticals, while his quickness out of his breaks makes him a dangerous route-runner who will get open. Jones tracks the ball well and shows impressive concentration to lock in receptions even with defenders bearing down on him
Tucker Tomlinson
Tucker Tomlinson
Immediately, Tomlinson ‘s size and ability to win contested catches jump out. He is tall, long and lean, and his leaping ability allows him to make contested catches over defensive backs. Beyond his large catch radius, Tomlinson shows nice body control and the ability to adjust to high point the ball over corners to snatch passes for chunk completions. Tomlinson makes catches in traffic, routinely showing zero hesitation or fear knowing that hits are coming. He has a natural ability to track the ball and uses late hands to not tip off cornerbacks that the ball is about to arrive.
After the catch, Tomlinson is a nice contributor, using his size to fight through tackles and pick up yards after contact. He has good feel to know which way to break and cut after making a catch to give himself more space for yardage. Tomlinson is tough and physical as a runner, showing the ability to drive through defensive backs to get extra yardage.
Noah Holt Noah Holt 6’1″ | 190 lbs | TE Elkmont | 2026 State AL can do a lot to help his offense. He is a quick route-runner with fluid athleticism to get open in the middle of the field. Holt has the speed to get down the seam and can accelerate to find soft spots in zone coverage. Helped by his excellent body control and agility, Holt makes difficult catches, routinely using his big body to box out defensive backs and make leaping grabs over them. Holt shows no fear of safeties despite knowing that big hits are coming, and will still leave his feet to make acrobatic aerial catches. He is a definite mismatch weapon who will be an asset to make receptions in the end zone over defensive backs.
Rhys Dorsey Rhys Dorsey 5’10” | 160 lbs | ATH Dothan | 2026 State AL is a talent receiver. He has smooth route running ability. When stemming his route, will stutter and jab step to attack the defender’s leverage and create separation. Does an excellent job adjusting to different types of passes; will track the ball on fade routes and adjust to put himself in good position, and contorts his body to adjust to under thrown passes. Shows solid body control to make catches on the sideline/end zone while getting his toes inbounds. Physical with the ball in his hands and will shrug off and stiff-arm defenders to gain additional yards after the catch. Adequate athleticism which shows up when he has the football and also when running routes.
Blake Griggs
Blake Griggs
Griggs possesses capable hands and good functional strength. When attacking zone defenses, his persistence and toughness allow him to attack when taking hits, often falling forward. He is quick to turn upfield after the catch, while requiring multiple defenders to tackle him. His solid play speed and burst are on display after his stem break and assist his elusiveness when getting YAC. Against press coverage, he uses quick stutter steps to generate his stem and used his body to seal off the defender on a dig route. Additionally, he excels at adjusting to the ball using well-timed jumps against double coverage, reaching for low passes, and keeping a consistent rhythm allowing the QB to trust his timing while playing with high effort and toughness that allows him to shake off a big hit.