Making the Leap: WR Kendrick Law
Making the Leap is a series we’re bringing back over the next couple of weeks. This series highlights young Alabama football players — mostly second or third-year guys — who we expect to take a significant step forward in their development. That step could come by way of sliding into a starting job or simply emerging as a bigger contributor. Either way, Alabama should feel the added impact from every name on this list.
Today, we continue on with Kendrick Law.
Kendrick Law
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 5-11
Weight: 201 pounds
Class: Sophomore
Hometown/High School: Shreveport, La. (Captain Shreve)
NIL Valuation: $79k
Law arrived at Alabama in 2022 as a part of a stacked wide receiver class.
In addition to the four-star, top-100 athlete out of Louisiana, the Crimson Tide inked Aaron Anderson (No. 4 WR), Emmanuel Henderson (No. 3 ATH), Shazz Preston (No. 6 WR), Isaiah Bond (No. 7 WR) and Kobe Prentice (No. 11 WR). Plus, it brought in Jermaine Burton (Georgia) and Tyler Harrell (Louisville) via the transfer portal. That’s a total of eight signings, which created a lot of competition last season when combined with the returning talent.
And yet, Law still managed to be involved in the wide receiver rotation from Week 1.
By season’s end, the 5-foot-11, 201-pound pass-catcher had the third-most snaps amongst the freshmen at his position. Of his 198 snaps on offense, exactly half of them (99) came over the final four weeks of the year. To take things a step further, nine of his 12 targets and six of his eight catches came during that same span. So, while some of the other receivers were seeing their workloads decrease, Law was getting a larger piece of the snap and target shares.
His biggest statistical impact came against Auburn when he brought in both of his targets for 52 yards. Granted, he didn’t see any targets in the Sugar Bowl (on 20 snaps), but there’s enough there to get excited about what he might bring to the table in 2023. Law has continued to build on that momentum throughout this offseason, too. We began to hear early buzz about his potential impact during the spring. That ability was then put on full-display on A-Day.
Yes, he only brought in two catches, but they were both explosive plays downfield (63 total yards). What I liked most about the performance was that it supported something that we had heard about him this offseason, which is his ability to strain defenses vertically. Don’t get me wrong, we already knew that Law was fast. His 10.48 100-meter track time in high school proves it. But we now have confirmation that his speed will be able to translate to an SEC football field.
Plus, that vertical, field-stretching ability complements what we already saw Law do well throughout his freshman year. His 201-pound frame is why many consider him to be built more like a running back than a receiver. He’s been willing to use that compact, powerful frame in a variety of ways, too. That includes being ultra-physical — as a receiver (both pre and post-catch) and blocker — and being willing to work over the middle of the field. His unique skillset makes him an intriguing weapon for new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.
Why? Because Law is capable of attacking all three levels of the defense effectively, and Rees can get creative in how he manufactures touches for the sophomore pass-catcher. This is where the comparisons to former South Carolina star Deebo Samuel have come into play. Samuel is listed as a receiver, but he’s been so much more than that for the San Francisco 49ers. His compact build (6-0, 215) and physical style also allows him to be used in and out of the backfield.
Law is capable of being used in a similar way, if Alabama chooses to go that route. But at the very least, he can provide a tone-setting physicality to the offense that you rarely see from a player at his position. With the Crimson Tide wanting to get back to more of a “take your will away” approach, getting physicality and attitude from a receiver can be an unsuspecting piece of the puzzle. Plus, he’s capable of making an impact even when he doesn’t have the ball.
The only thing that has yet to be determined is whether he can handle volume as a pass-catcher. We never really saw it from him when he was in high school (only 107 catches in four seasons with a career-high 39 in 2019). That has been some cause for concern, but the more I think about it, the less I think his past matters. He’s now exclusively a wide receiver, and his skillset suggest that he’s capable of being a volume guy — if he can the necessary target share.
I’m expecting Law to take a big step foward in 2023.
Other “Making the Leap” selections
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