Don't rule it out.
There's a chance Jaylen Waddle, a star wide receiver for Alabama, could return to the field and play in the national championship game in a week.
He will return to practice on Tuesday, per AL.com's Matt Zenitz who cites sources who tell him "it’s at least a possibility" that Waddle will return to the field to face Ohio State on Jan. 11 in Miami. He's been out of commission since suffering an ankle injury in the Crimson Tide's 48-17 win at Tennessee earlier this fall.
It's too early to tell whether or not Waddle will be able to play versus the Buckeyes, Zenitz reported.
If Alabama does, in fact, get Waddle back, it would gain somebody viewed as one of college football's best wide receivers entering the season. He'd bolster an already-strong corps of wideouts, which includes Heisman Trophy frontrunner Devonta Smith, for quarterback Mac Jones to target.
Waddle recorded 25 receptions for 557 yards and four touchowns in the season's first four games, breaking the 100-yard mark in each of them. The junior managed 32 catches for 553 yards and six touchdowns the prior season. Also dangerous in special teams, he earned first-team All-American honors as a returner in 2019 from FWAA, The Sporting News and Pro Football Focus.
