Syndication: Tuscaloosa News July 31, 2025; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Wide receiver Jaylen Mbakwe runs a pass route during the second practice session of the preseason for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Alabama football’s sophomore, Jaylen Mbakwe appears to be settling in at wide receiver for the Crimson Tide.

Mbakwe signed with the Tide as a five-star athlete out of Clay-Chalkville High School in Alabama to play defensive back despite him lining up at wide receiver, quarterback and defensive back through his high school career. He earned meaningful snaps in Alabama’s secondary in 2024 at cornerback before switching to wide receiver ahead of the ReliaQuest Bowl.

The former five-star now has a spring under his belt at the position and a few fall practices.

Mbakwe has been making his presence felt early in fall camp, per Kalen DeBoer.

“He’s had a couple more so right now than the summer,” DeBoer said. “Bak’s (Mbakwe) made some nice places here. He’s actually gotten practice kicked off in a good way from an offensive standpoint with some big plays early on. And so again, growth happening. It’s fun. That’s great to see it. I feel like with any player, it is, can you trust him to get lined up? Can I trust him to do his job? Those are really things that I’m not worried about with Bak. Now it’s just getting comfortable, more with the offense and the timing working with the guys around him. So, the growth I would hope for is what I’m seeing.”

Alabama is expected to have a rotation of weapons at wide receiver during the 2025 season. It remains to be seen if Mbakwe can crack the rotation, but he looks to be working towards so.

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Justin Smith is the Managing Editor and Lead Writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with over 10 years of writing experience & expertise. Smith has consistently delivered high quality, extensively researched information on the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team that fans can trust. Smith is official credentialed media with the University of Alabama under Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He is also the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Enterprises, specializing in scouting and analyzing high school recruits around the nation, specifically focusing on recruits within the state of Alabama.