Alabama Football: 4-star WR Thaiu Jones-Bell bolsters 2020 class

Alabama football recruiting has been strong at wide receiver the past few years, and it just got stronger with four-star receiver Thaiu Jones-Bell.

As the recruiting trail progresses, Alabama has a few key positions they must focus on. With Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, and Devonta Smith all available to declare for the NFL Draft next year, there might be a mass exodus of talent at the receiver position. With that need up in the air, Nick Saban has recruited hard, and it has paid off with a four-star receiver recently committing to join the Crimson Tide.

Thaiu Jones-Bell is ranked 22nd at his position in 2020, per 247Sports. He is from South Florida, near where both Amari Cooper and Calvin Ridley grew up. There is a lot of talent in that region, and it has been a pipeline for Alabama in recent years.

Jones-Bell is the fourth receiver to commit to Alabama in the 2020 class so far, but he is the highest-rated one out of all four. At 5-foot-11 and under 190 pounds, he is more of a route runner than a possession receiver. He has a slickness about his footwork that makes him elusive to any corners, and it can be an asset in potential special teams situations.

Assuming all three receivers eligible to declare next season do, the top returning receiver on the roster will be Jaylen Waddle, an undersized speedster. There will also be John Metchie, a freshman this season who has already shown his talent this spring when he enrolled early.

Despite these two (and hopefully other) top receivers on the roster looking forward, there will be a need for depth at the position. It’s a long way down the road, but Jones-Bell has the skills and potential to possibly start in his first year at the Capstone. He will have to show growth in his senior year in high school and also impress the coaching staff once he’s on campus, but this is about as good as a four-star receiver can get this early in recruitment.

I try not to buy into the whole four-star vs. five-star debate. Jaylen Waddle and John Metchie are both projecting to be great players for the Tide so far, and they were both four-star receivers. It might matter more for a quarterback or linebacker, but receivers can be studs no matter how many stars they have.

We are a long ways away from Thaiu Jones-Bell enrolling in college, but he has the potential to be the next star receiver at the University of Alabama.