Alabama Receiver Julio Jones is Poised to Make a Big Impact in the Coming Weeks

Alabama's Julio Jones is one of those unique athletes who only needs to be referred to by his first name. Among Tide fans, "Julio" is to Alabama what "Colt" is to Texas, or "Dez" to Oklahoma State; he is so popular, he simply doesn't need two names.

Coming out of high school in 2008, this 6'4" 215 pound tackle breaker was seen by most analysts as the top receiver in his class, and an instant impact player at the next level. His final choices included: playing for pass happy Texas Tech, catching balls from a future Heisman winner at Oklahoma, or being an in-state hero at Alabama. It seemed like any choice he made would have been ideal, and under the watchful eye of thousands of college football fans, Julio made his final decision on national TV. Much to the dismay of supporters all over the Midwest, he chose to stay in state and play for coach Nick Saban.

A lot of fans in Texas and Oklahoma criticized Jones' decision, citing the notion that his offensive numbers would have been significantly higher at Texas Tech or OU. While this may have proven true, Jones still managed to put up stat lines that jumped off the page during his first year with the Tide. When their 12-2 season was all said and done, Jones had amassed over 900 receiving yards and made four trips to the end zone. According to RollTide.com, he not only led the team in receptions, he broke every freshman receiving record ever set at Alabama.

Jones was lucky enough to be blessed with the unique combination of superior hands, explosive speed and the ability to make tacklers look downright foolish. While many of his highlight reel moments have earned him attention from All-American voters, recent accusations of NCAA violations have attracted some unwanted scrutiny. Both Jones and teammate Mark Ingram, made quite a stir before the start of the season, as they were accused of accepting a free fishing trip while visiting the resort town of Gulf Shores. The NCAA decided not to suspend either player, and only required that the cost of the fishing trip be paid back to charity.

With the now infamous fishing scandal behind him, Julio came into this season with a heavy load on his shoulders, as many fans expected him to "burst out of the shoots" with some big early production. Much to their dismay, Jones has not exactly gotten off to such a stellar start. In Alabama's season opener against Virginia Tech, Julio was held to only 46 yards, as he was left to contend with double coverage on almost every play. He came back the next week against Florida International only to get injured and leave the game in the first half. Now, after sitting out during the Tide's game against North Texas, Jones is expected to contribute in a big way, with seven consecutive conference games in his future.

Even though Alabama has some extremely tough weeks ahead (away match-ups against Ole Miss and Auburn should be of particular interest), Jones' skill set will make him a factor one way or another. If he isn't making the receptions himself, his presence alone will cause defensive secondaries to shift in his direction, opening up space for other Alabama receivers to rack up big numbers against single coverage. As long as new starting quarterback Greg McElroy can consistently get the ball downfield, look for Alabama to compliment their powerful running game with huge chunks of yardage through the air.

"Julio Jones" RollTide.com