Coach’s Take: What Amari Jefferson brings to Alabama’s baseball, football teams
Alabama’s baseball and football programs both have reasons to celebrate on Saturday.
Moments ago, Tennessee-based prospect Amari Jefferson committed to the Crimson Tide. Jefferson, who had previously been a Volunteers baseball pledge for over two years, has flipped that commitment to Bama. His goal will be to attempt to play both sports at the next level.
To learn even more about who Jefferson is on the gridiron and on the diamond, BamaOnLine caught up with his head coaches at Baylor School. Football head coach Erik Kimrey and baseball head coach Greg Elie dished out their assessment of Jefferson, who is the No. 19 wide receiver in the 2024 On300.
“He is an absolute joy to coach,” Kimrey said. “He approaches his craft as a professional. Takes his play both in football and baseball very seriously in how he approaches them. He’s an extremely competitive individual who makes everyone around him better because of the way he really attacks his training and practice. He’s certainly been a great part of this community and program, and we’re super happy for him.”
Alabama football is getting a “very explosive” player in Amari Jefferson
Continuing on our conversation with Kimrey, he raved about Jefferson’s versatile skill set as a receiver and where he excels at the most.
“He’s very explosive,” Kimrey said. “He’s the kind of guy who if he touches the ball, there’s a good chance he’ll take it all the way. Deceptively fast. Very fast. He’s so smooth when he runs that you don’t realize the speed with which he’s running. An incredible ability to change direction. Elite hand-eye coordination; I think that’s something that playing baseball has only developed further.”
On3 Sports Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power referred to Jefferson’s body frame as one comparable to a running back.
Kimrey also highlighted where Jefferson is at physically and how that makes him impactful on the field.
“He’s a strong kid,” Kimrey said. “He’s 200 pounds at 6-foot. Amari is a prototypical receiver. When you look at a compact 6-foot, 200-pound explosive guy who can carry the ball out of the backfield and make plays down the field, he’s going to be a guy that someone is going to be very lucky to have on their squad.”
Jefferson also has qualities to him that can’t be recorded on the stat sheet or measured at a camp.
“When you’re talking about Amari, there’s an ‘it’ factor, and he has ‘it,’” Kimrey said. “Those are the intangible qualities that you need to be successful not only on the field, but in life. A great human being that you want around your program who will leave a lasting legacy on Baylor School for a long time.”
Interestingly enough, Jefferson has only played two full seasons at wide receiver. He had played quarterback prior to becoming a receiver, but tore his MCL during his freshman year of high school. This, combined with him being a dual-sport athlete, makes Kimrey believe that Jefferson is only scratching the surface of his potential.
“We don’t even know his ceiling,” Kimrey said. “This is a young who takes six months off from football every year. I know he wants to pursue both, and I totally support that. I think the day that comes where he settles on one of these two sports is going to be scary. He’s been truly split 50-50. I think his potential is something we don’t even know yet.”
As a junior, Jefferson caught 72 passes for 1,370 yards for Baylor School. He scored touchdowns on 17 of those passes, making for a reception-to-TD ratio of 4.24-to-1.
Jefferson has above-average athletic tools on the diamond
This week, Jefferson spent a few days in Hoover. There, he represented the Pittsburgh Pirates organization at the East Coast Pro event. Greg Elie, his head baseball coach, says Jefferson put forward a strong performance in Alabama this week.
“Talking to the scouts, they love his athleticism and his explosiveness,” Elie said. “I don’t think he hurt himself at East Coast Pro. He went out there and had a nice double. Ran very well. Has above-average speed for a baseball player. Defensively, I think he’s above-average. The power is there. The hit tool is just continually getting better. This summer, I think he did good with the ball. Was able to do some things at PG National and East Coast Pro that will definitely have the scouts coming back.”
As for Jefferson’s MLB Draft prospects, Elie says it remains to be seen as those are typically difficult projections for two-sport players.
He did note, however, that Jefferson has a lot of desirable attributes on the diamond.
“I had a scout tell me the other day that he did some things in the outfield defensively… watching that growth has been great as well,” Elie said. “Defensively, he can do just about anything you want him to do in the outfield. Offensively, he has a ton of tools… his speed on the diamond is crazy. He’s got a ton of power. That’s the sport I think if he’s ever able to go full time, there’s just no telling what he can do.”
Reiterating some of the same points that Kimrey told us, Elie doesn’t quite know Jefferson’s ceiling due to his time being split between baseball and football.
In the end, whatever sport he ends up sticking with, Elie says Alabama is getting a good person and player in their newest commit.
“He’s an amazing athlete, but he’s a great young man, too,” Elie said. “Just a kid who you love to coach and he’s fun to be around. To watch his growth and his maturity on and off the field, I’m very proud of him.”
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