Alabama WR signee talks conversations with new staff, looks ahead to upcoming visit

It will be a unique group of official visitors for Alabama this upcoming weekend.

Kalen DeBoer‘s staff’s next official visitor weekend will feature a trio of signees in the 2024 class. Those are wide receivers Amari Jefferson and Rico Scott, and Canadian-based defensive lineman Steve Mboumoua.

Jefferson, who is from Chattanooga (Tenn.), will have the shortest trip of the three. He’ll be joined by his parents on this visit, and says they have already had an opportunity to speak with DeBoer over the phone.

“It was really just introductory and trying to get to know each other a little bit,” Jefferson told BamaOnLine of their conversation with DeBoer. “It’ll probably be more deeper conversations this weekend, but my parents wanted to get some questions off their chests.

“He won a lot of games at Washington and his offense was very explosive,” Jefferson added. “I saw them versus Oregon twice and then Texas and Michigan. They’re putting up a lot of points and their receivers were getting a lot of opportunities.”

The No. 17 wide receiver in the 2024 class also spoke with new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb for the first time. That talk mirrored the one that he had with DeBoer as it was a brief introduction to each other ahead of this weekend.

Jefferson had an extended conversation with position coach JaMarcus Shephard as well.

“He seems like a very standup guy,” Jefferson said of Shephard. “The receivers he had at Washington seemed to love him. I think he was going to be my receivers coach at Bama anyways, even if Saban would’ve stayed. Seems like a pretty good guy. Haven’t met him in person yet so it’s hard to tell off a phone call, but he seems pretty genuine.”

Earlier this month, Jefferson saw wide receivers coach Holmon Wiggins depart for Texas A&M. A week later, Nick Saban retired, with area recruiter Joe Cox not being retained by the new staff.

All three of his top recruiters from Alabama are no longer there, so this weekend will be pivotal for Jefferson.

“We’re going down for an official this weekend to get a feel for the new staff, meet them, and see where things still stand,” Jefferson said. “Nobody who recruited me before I committed and signed is still there. It’s going to be a big weekend for me to get a feel for them, trying to understand how they view me, and what their plan is for me. It’s a completely new staff. I have no relationships at Bama since Saban retired, so I think this weekend will be a big weekend for me.”

Alabama is “in great hands” with DeBoer leading the way

While there are still some questions to be answered, Amari Jefferson has no doubt about the future of Alabama Football with DeBoer at the helm.

“I think they’re in great hands with Coach DeBoer,” Jefferson said. “The guy won at Washington. He’s won everywhere he’s been. It doesn’t matter where you are; it’s hard to win. He won 11-plus games both years at Washington and took them to the National Championship. That’s very impressive.

“I definitely think Bama is in great hands. They have a great coaching staff that they brought in. I definitely think the winning tradition and culture will continue to stick at Alabama.”

Jefferson has caught up with a few of his future teammates from the 2024 class, with some expressing mixed emotions after the departure of Saban.

The top-ranked player in the state of Tennessee did say there’s generally a positive outlook about the future of the program.

“I’ve spoken with a good amount of them,” Jefferson said. “I think there’s a lot of excitement around the program. Especially with Ryan committing [on Wednesday], I know that was a big get for Alabama in the state.”

Piggybacking off his last statement, Jefferson continues to be optimistic about the future of Bama’s wide receivers group now that Williams is back on board.

“I’m excited,” Jefferson said of Williams’ commitment. “I knew he was going to commit; I just didn’t know when. It’s great to have him back in the class. He’s a great player. I think we brought in the best receiving class in the country this year.

“We have a lot of dynamic playmakers from really all four of us that came in this 2024 class. We all bring our different stuff to the table, but all electric and explosive and unique in our own way. I think we’re going to prove to be a really good class.”

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