Alabama coach Nick Saban doesn't tend to go overboard with individual praise, but his remarks about junior-to-be wide receiver Amari Cooper were about as strong as it gets for the Crimson Tide's been-there, seen-it-all coach.
In short, he said double coverage is about the only way to stop the Crimson Tide star.
"The guy's really an explosive guy. He's got great speed, he's got really good hands, he's got good size. He can catch the ball vertically down the field," Saban said, according to al.com. "He's difficult to cover coming out of a break. He's good against press, so he's a pretty hard guy to stop unless you put two guys on him."
Now, for some context.
Saban was asked about Cooper following his second dominant spring scrimmage performance on Saturday. In two scrimmages thus far, he has amassed 19 catches for 287 yards and three touchdowns. Scrimmages are closed to media and some of those catches would have come in situational work, but you get the idea: Cooper has been outstanding. Still, Alabama doesn't scheme up its own for scrimmage work, so the double coverage on Cooper hasn't been there in spring practice.
Nor has the secondary experience.
Alabama's defensive backs are as much a work in progress as any position on the field this offseason, and the cornerbacks on hand are particularly short on game experience. Cooper has feasted on inexperienced single coverage, but then again, he's feasted on seasoned cornerbacks on Saturdays in the fall, as well. Cooper will be eligible for the 2015 or 2016 NFL drafts, depending upon whether he chooses to turn pro early after his junior season. As Alabama's top receiver the last two years, he has positioned himself as one of the top underclassmen at his position in the nation.
As Cooper will tell you, he's plenty fast enough, as well.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread.*
