Jermaine Burton Has Emerged as Alabama's Go-To Wide Receiver
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Through five games of the 2023 season, Alabama's passing offense looked pedestrian, to put it lightly.
Each game, Alabama had a different wide receiver as the team's leader for the game, and none of them had eclipsed 76 yards. Jermaine Burton was the team's leading receiver on the season entering Saturday, but his season stats consisted of a mere eight catches for 189 yards and two touchdowns.
Against Texas A&M, Burton doubled his season totals in every category. The former Georgia transfer posted a stat line of nine catches, 197 yards and two touchdowns on the afternoon, leading the No. 11 Crimson Tide to a 26-20 road win to cement themselves at first place in the SEC West standings.
What's more, it came a week after Burton did not record a single catch against Mississippi State.
"We've always had a lot of faith, trust and confidence in him. He's a big-play player," Alabama head coach Nick Saban said of Burton after the game. "We knew they were really good up front, and we would struggle with their front. But we felt like if we could protect well enough and get some time that we could make some plays down the field, and I think that's something that we did very effectively. And obviously, he was extremely effective in the game at making some big plays."
Saban said Burton missed last week's game because he was "bothered" by a foot injury, but said he's back to "100 percent" now.
"I hated not being able to do what I can do [last week]," Burton said. "But you know, I got through my foot thing, I did a lot of treatment every day after practice, because I knew coming into this game it was going to be a tough one. I tried to do everything I can to get back.
Burton made multiple "explosive" plays throughout the game, catching two passes of 45 yards or more to advance Alabama down the field and catching two touchdowns that were each over 15 yards.
Burton's 197 yards in the game were the most by an Alabama wide receiver since DeVonta Smith's 215 in the 2020 National Championship Game against Ohio State.
If that feels like a long time, that's because it has been since an Alabama receiver took over a game the way Burton did this afternoon. Last season with Bryce Young under center, Alabama had only two games out of 13 where a wide receiver went over 100 yards, after it happened in 11 games in 2021.
A constant issue with Alabama's offense in recent years has been the lack of a game-breaking wide receiver, a go-to guy that commands the attention of the defense making life easier on the quarterback, as well as the other receivers.
Sophomore receiver Isaiah Bond was a major beneficiary of Burton's play, racking up a career-high 96 yards with a touchdown of his own.
"Isaiah Bond, his presence on the field helps me," Burton said. "His speed, you can't ignore that. [...] It helps me a lot, man, and we all help each other."
Another beneficiary of Burton's enormous game? His quarterback, Jalen Milroe, who posted a career-high of his own with 321 passing yards on the afternoon.
"I think preparation during the week, all the things as far as the game plan, me and [Burton] getting a great connection throughout the week, that's very key to being successful," Milroe said.
Burton's message to Milroe for getting him the ball is a really simple one.
"Just throw it," Burton said. "I was like, 'bro, just put it down there next to me, and I'll adjust.'"
Throughout the game, Burton was fully energized, hyped up and talking with Texas A&M players even after plays ended. He was even flagged for an unsportsmanlike penalty early in the game.
"Regardless of who I'm going against, I try to get in their head, you know, I'm real competitive," Burton said. "Texas A&M's secondary, they're competitive as well, so they had some stuff to say as well, but shoot, at the end of the day, I felt like they couldn't guard us."
With Alabama's need for a true No. 1 threat on everyone's minds, Burton was asked if was ready to step into that role as the season continues. Burton's answer was not so much about himself, but how dangerous the wide receiver room can be.
"I honestly just want to take on the role of being a leader to them, you know, regardless of who," Burton said. "Because I can have a game like that, [Bond] can have a game like that, [Kobe Prentice] can have a game like that, [Ja'Corey Brooks] can have a game like that]. Whoever's day it is, it's the other receivers' job to support them."
While Burton may be right, that the rest of the receiving corps can have a game like that, the fact of the matter is, he's the one that just did have a game like that. Alabama still has all of its season goals in front of it, and if the Crimson Tide wants to achieve them, Burton is going to have to take this game, and run with it.
